Use of world-class equipment during cyclones prevented loss of lives: RMC

CHENNAI: Amid the criticism that there was a delay in the forecast on the amount of heavy rainfall that occurred last week, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in the city said that it was the timely warning that had prevented loss of lives in huge numbers when cyclones like Vardah and Michaung crossed the Eastern coast.

Chief Minister MK Stalin and other leaders from the DMK had claimed that the India Meteorological Department had failed to predict the accurate amount of rainfall in its forecast for the southern districts which faced ‘historic’ rains last week leading to severe flooding.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, however, countered his comments and said the RMC in Chennai, with its ‘modern’ equipment and ‘state-of-the-art’ facility had forecast heavy rains in southern states well in advance.

The RMC Chennai, in a statement, on Sunday said there were media reports that the centre did not have any modern equipment and was lacking in advanced tools. “There are several equipment – high-speed computers, ISRO’s satellite support facilities, RADAR – that are world-class,” the statement said.

To forecast for Chennai and neighbouring districts, it added that the centre has two doppler radars, and for the State, it has 3.

“These are X-band type radars built in association with ISRO. The World Meteorological Organisation also commended the infrastructure at the Centre as world-class,” it observed. “It was due to these facilities that a lot of lives were saved during cyclones like Vardah, Gajah, Nivar and Michaung. Making such criticism hurt the sentiments of the dedicated employees of the centre and it is an insult to the Indian technology we use regularly here.”

As many as 31 people lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts due to the historic rainfall on December 17 and 18 leading to severe flooding in several neighbourhoods.