Chandigarh: In order to develop an indigenous capability and methodology for long term forecast of weather, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in its first kind of venture has joined hands with the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D)

The joint venture would enable generation of weather forecast reports over the entire duration of the season.

Presently, the accuracy to anticipate the weather forecast is limited to a week.

“We are looking forward to extend this period of forecasting weather and climatic formations about one or two months ahead which would eventually extend to anticipation of a seasonal duration,” said Ashwagosha Ganju, Director of DRDO’s Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE).

“The project will take around three years to devise effective models for weather forecasting,” he added.

The SASE is a nodal agency for the project, engaged in studying snow physics, avalanche mitigation and climatic conditions over the Himalayas.

Funded by the DRDO, it is the first of its kind of a joint venture in the country.

Six experts in atmospheric sciences from the SASE and the IIT are engaged in the project where the IIT would be responsible for conceiving and developing forecast models and DRDO observatories and weather stations would collect data.

Extending its mountain meteorology project, SASE from now onwards, will focus on Western Himalayas and to the Central Himalayan axis to improve weather forecast and avalanche warning.

Besides the SASE, the Meteorological Department, the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast, the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force are stakeholders in the project.