Forecast not just ‘mainly clear sky’

Science and Technology Ministry willing, weather forecasting in the country may just become a private-public partnership. Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Professor V.S. Ramamurthy, on the sidelines of an International Monsoon Conference, said the Ministry was interested in the concept of getting private players into the field of meteorology, a practice followed in many countries.

‘‘The concept is to take raw data from the organisation and then make it into a product, on cost. We are thinking of it. We would like to do it,’’ said Ramamurthy. And the man pushing for the concept in India is US-based Prof Jagdish Shukla, who runs the Institute of Global Environment. Shukla, who was recently awarded the C.G. Rossby award, has been invited by the IMD to take part in the monsoon conference. ‘‘India can develop a big, new industry because meteorology is a very useful product for society. In the US, there are 100 companies that provide weather service. They take forecast from the Met department and then customise it for the users. The forecast is more specific and detailed,’’ said Shukla.

So, a power company would get specific information on temperature and wind throughout the day so that it can plan and run its power plants at optimum utility. Met Department officials said right now consumers including power companies and the aviation sector call and are given the over all weather forecast. ‘‘There is no specific forecast for different consumers,’’ said an IMD official.

The idea is that the company will take the forecast from the Met department and then through its own experts, evolve a more precise and detailed forecast.