Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
The Indian government is working on developing ‘Mausam GPT,’ an AI-based application that will provide weather-related information in both written and audio formats. This application is part of the larger Mission Mausam, which aims to improve weather forecasting and make the country climate-ready within five years.
The Cabinet has approved the Mission Mausam initiative, which aims to enhance India’s ability to detect and respond to weather phenomena like cloudbursts, floods, and extreme weather events. The initiative is led by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and involves incremental improvements in forecast accuracy.
As part of Mission Mausam, Indian scientists plan to experiment with techniques to not only enhance rain but also suppress it. In the next five years, scientists aim to suppress rain during significant events, such as Independence Day, and manage floods and hail through cloud seeding and other weather modification techniques.
Laboratory simulations for artificial weather modification will start within the next 18 months. Over five years, India will conduct real-world experiments in artificial rain suppression and enhancement, with the goal of mastering this technology for various scenarios.
Countries like the U.S., Canada, China, Russia, and Australia have been using cloud seeding to enhance rain and suppress hail. India has conducted limited experiments in Maharashtra and elsewhere, and the government plans to build on these efforts as part of the mission.
The government has allocated an initial budget of Rs 2,000 crore over two years for Mission Mausam. This will help improve forecasting systems and provide a more robust response to climate change impacts. Further funding will be allocated as the project progresses.
Key components of Mission Mausam include the deployment of next-generation radar systems, advanced satellites, high-performance supercomputers, and improved earth system models. These technologies will help build a GIS-based Decision Support System for real-time data sharing across the country.