Latest news with #WeatherInformationNetworkandDataSystem
Time of India
29-07-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Govt allots funds to usher WINDS of change in agri sector
Lucknow: The state govt has released a tranche of Rs 9.77 crore for the Weather Information Network and Data System (WINDS) project, which envisages hyper-local determination of weather to boost agricultural productivity. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The fund released is out of Rs 60 crore allocated for the project in the current fiscal. Principal secretary, agriculture, Ravinder said that under the project, weather stations and rain gauges would be installed at the block and panchayat levels, respectively. Under the project, the state agriculture department will set up at least 308 automatic weather stations in selected blocks and around 55,570 rain gauges across the gram panchayats. Officials said that WINDS uses advanced weather data analytics to provide farmers and other stakeholders with actionable weather information for agriculture. W ith precise weather forecasting, farmers will be able to prepare for extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and storms. Ravinder said this will also help in estimating the loss caused to horticultural crops during extreme weather conditions. Besides boosting productivity, the measure will also aid in deciding crop insurance and other agriculture-related programmes. This will be in addition to 518 weather stations which are in the process of being constructed by the revenue and the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The two departments have also joined hands in installing as many as 2,132 rain gauge equipment to ascertain the quantum of rain and determine the local rainfall pattern. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Experts said that WINDS aims to create a large network of weather stations at the hyper-local level to monitor weather patterns, assess risk, and respond to meteorological concerns. This also includes steps to improve air quality monitoring through the development of low-cost reliable sensor-based systems. This will help in generating hyper-local weather data that would aid farmers in planning irrigation, sowing, and harvesting.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Kerala to boost agricultural resilience with 950 new weather stations
Kochi: Kerala is set to enhance agricultural resilience with the installation of 950 new weather stations. The state agriculture department, as part of the implementation of the WINDS (Weather Information Network and Data System) initiative of the Union govt, has partnered with Ingen Technologies to establish the weather stations. The initiative aims to strengthen agricultural resilience through advanced weather data collection systems. Among the 950 weather IoT systems, automatic weather stations (AWS) and automatic rain gauges (ARGs) will be installed across 14 districts. AWS will be set up at the block level and ARGs at the panchayat level. These installations will provide real-time weather data, covering temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and rainfall. By equipping farmers with accurate and timely information, this project will empower them to make informed decisions and improve agricultural planning. The five-year implementation (2024–2029) will see installations at both block and gram panchayat levels, ensuring uninterrupted, high-quality data collection aligned with WINDS guidelines for modernising weather infrastructure. The initiative is poised to transform how weather risks are managed at the grassroots level, contributing to smarter agricultural practices and more resilient farming communities. "Kerala has faced significant climate-related disasters in recent years, including the devastating floods of 2018 and recurring monsoon-related calamities. These events underscored the critical need for accurate and timely weather monitoring. By installing advanced weather IoT systems and providing real-time datasets across the state, we are helping to improve disaster preparedness, enabling farmers and authorities to proactively mitigate risks and safeguard livelihoods," said Ankit Agarwal, Head, AWS and IoT, Ingen Tech. WINDS is an initiative of the ministry of agriculture and family welfare to augment the weather data collection system in the country in terms of adequacy of network, data collection, data standardisation, data hosting and dissemination through coordinated efforts with IMD and states. Under the initiative, only data rental costs are payable by centre and state govts. Nine states - Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Assam, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan are in the process of implementing it, while other states have expressed willingness, according to ministry officials.
