PARLIAMENT QUESTION: DOPPLER RADAR COVERAGE IN LAHAUL AND SPITI AND KINNAUR

The Ministry of Earth Sciences, through the India Meteorological Department (IMD), reported that no suitable site could be identified in Lahaul and Spiti Valley for an X‑Band Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) because of severe beam blockage, leading to the relocation of the planned radar to another part of the country. The state currently operates three X‑Band DWRs at Kufri, Jot and Murari Devi. IMD has also established a network in Himachal Pradesh comprising 24 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), 4 Agro‑AWS and 66 Automatic Rain Gauge Stations (ARG). In Lahaul & Spiti and Kinnaur districts, ten AWS/ARG stations are operational, with specific locations listed in the release. The government has further adopted high‑performance computing, high‑resolution numerical weather prediction models and AI‑enabled forecasting tools to enhance weather monitoring and extreme‑event prediction, especially in remote and hilly regions.