Post news network
Bhubaneswar: The first Doppler radar station of the state will be inaugurated at Paradip November 21, said Meteorological Centre director Sarat Sahu.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) decided to install, in collaboration with the state government, two Doppler radars. These were to be installed at Paradip and Gopalpur, which are very prone to cyclones. Later, two more Doppler radars were proposed to be installed at Balasore and Sambalpur.
However, the radars remained a distant dream because of various administrative glitches and other problems. “There were many problems in the setting up of the Doppler radar stations, but these are resolved now and the first radar at Paradip is set to be functional from November 21,” said Sahu.
The Doppler radar station at Paradip will have the capacity to detect disturbances over the sea such as cyclonic circulations, low-pressure areas, depressions and even cyclones within a radius of 250 km. It can also provide rough data for this over a radius of 500 km over the sea.
“The radar stations can be very useful for predicting disturbances over the Bay of Bengal in real time. Orissa is very prone to major cyclones and thus IMD has decided to install the radars here. Paradip and Gopalpur were chosen on the basis being places most affected by major cyclones,” he said.
The equipment and technology for the Paradip Doppler radar station has been sourced from China, while that for Gopalpur was to be taken from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Sources said the radar station at Gopalpur will also become functional soon. Work on the ones at Balasore and Sambalpur are in the initial stages.