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Rain-tracking goes hi-tech, satellites to monitor signs of drought in India
With speculation of less than normal monsoon in the country this year, India has deployed satellites to check signs of a drought in 13 states. Of these 13 states, 9 are high-farm output states.
Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: With speculation of less than normal monsoon in the country this year, India has deployed satellites to check signs of a drought in 13 states. Of these 13 states, 9 are high-farm output states.
As per reports in a leading Daily, rain-tracking has become hi-tech with the use of indeginious space technology. The big moment came when India launched its first major satellite dedicated to agriculture – RISAT 1 in 2012.
This reduced the dependecy that India had on Canadian Radarsat. This is the first time in four years that a below normal monsoon has been predicted. The country was hit by worst draught in three decades in 2009. With the help of technology, it will be possible to zoom into district levels in 13 states and taluka levels in four states and assess data regarding the agricultural situation. This process if done manually may take weeks.
Meanwhile, a contingency plan for 500 districts to meet the situation arising out of a possible poor monsoon was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. The meeting, attended by four Cabinet ministers - Agriculture, Food, Fertilisers and Water Resources - and three ministers of state was held at the Prime Minister`s residence amid concerns over a poor monsoon impacting prices. Modi reviewed in detail various issues relating to agriculture, rural development, water resources, organic farming, fertilisers and chemicals, and animal husbandr, PTI reported.
The India Meteorological department early this week cut its June-September monsoon forecast to 93 per cent of the long-run average from an already below-normal 95 per cent projected earlier.
With PTI inputs
New Delhi: With speculation of less than normal monsoon in the country this year, India has deployed satellites to check signs of a drought in 13 states. Of these 13 states, 9 are high-farm output states.
As per reports in a leading Daily, rain-tracking has become hi-tech with the use of indeginious space technology. The big moment came when India launched its first major satellite dedicated to agriculture – RISAT 1 in 2012.
This reduced the dependecy that India had on Canadian Radarsat. This is the first time in four years that a below normal monsoon has been predicted. The country was hit by worst draught in three decades in 2009. With the help of technology, it will be possible to zoom into district levels in 13 states and taluka levels in four states and assess data regarding the agricultural situation. This process if done manually may take weeks.
Meanwhile, a contingency plan for 500 districts to meet the situation arising out of a possible poor monsoon was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. The meeting, attended by four Cabinet ministers - Agriculture, Food, Fertilisers and Water Resources - and three ministers of state was held at the Prime Minister`s residence amid concerns over a poor monsoon impacting prices. Modi reviewed in detail various issues relating to agriculture, rural development, water resources, organic farming, fertilisers and chemicals, and animal husbandr, PTI reported.
The India Meteorological department early this week cut its June-September monsoon forecast to 93 per cent of the long-run average from an already below-normal 95 per cent projected earlier.
With PTI inputs