Mandi: Calibration lab set up to issue accurate weather forecast

Dipender Manta

Mandi, January 30

A calibration laboratory set up by the Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment at its research centre in Manali is set to play a crucial role in issuing accurate forecast and warnings of natural disasters related to floods, avalanches and glaciers in northeast India from Manali to Siachen.

Warning for natural disasters

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• The lab will play crucial role in giving warnings for natural disasters in northeast India
• Will offer a facility for calibrating electronic sensors to collect data pertaining to snow avalanches and other weather conditions
• This is the first lab in India for avalanche sensors

The laboratory was inaugurated by Shailendra V Gade, Director General and Distinguished Scientist, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), last week, in the presence of Pramod Kumar Satyawali, Excellent Scientist and Director, Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment (DGRE), Manali, and Dr Neeraj Sharma, Project Director of calibration.

Gade said the calibration laboratory was a facility for calibrating electronic sensors to collect data pertaining to snow avalanches and other weather conditions.

Neeraj Sharma, project director of the laboratory, said, “With the help of this laboratory, we will be able to maintain the accuracy and quality of the data collected by calibrating snow and weather-related sensors at regular intervals or as per requirement. We will definitely get its reward in qualitative form in issuing better and accurate forecasts and warnings of natural disasters related to floods, avalanches and glaciers.”

He said it was the first lab in India for snow avalanche sensors.

Ashwini Kumar Acharya, in-charge of this lab, said the sensors of many automatic weather stations installed on the northeast Indian border Himalayas from the Siachen Glacier would be calibrated here.