IIT Ropar develops cost-effective automatic weather stations to aid farmers

Climatic change is adversely affecting crop yields in the region. Adverse climate changes in the recent past, such as heavy rains, cloud bursts, and hail storms, have had a detrimental impact on public and private property and the income of farmers and horticulturists in the region, including the states of Punjab and Himachal. To tackle the problem and provide accurate weather information to farmers and horticulturists, IIT Ropar has developed an automatic weather station.

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The weather stations developed by IIT Ropar are cost-effective, with each station costing approximately Rs 15,000. They can be installed by individual farmers, eliminating the need to wait for government assistance. While the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Governments have shown keen interest in the weather stations, the Punjab and Himachal Governments have not shown any interest in the invention that can benefit farmers in the state.

Sources indicate that the UP Government has already placed an order for 3,000 weather stations from IIT Ropar, and Haryana has requested 500 weather stations. Director of IIT Ropar, Professor Rajiv Ahuja, stated that the automatic weather station developed by IIT Ropar is a sophisticated system designed to autonomously monitor and record weather conditions.

These stations are equipped with various sensors to measure fundamental weather parameters and can be customised with additional sensors for specialised data collection. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the weather station developed by IIT Ropar is 99 per cent accurate. It measures ambient air temperatures, records moisture levels in the air, gauges wind velocity and direction, measures precipitation levels, monitors atmospheric pressure variations, records sunlight intensity, and helps measure soil temperature and moisture.

The director further explained that the weather stations are equipped with air quality sensors that detect pollutants like PM10, PM2.5, CO₂, NO₂, SO₂, CO, and TVOC. The weather stations have a data logger with SD card storage, ensuring continuous data logging, and a 4G modem for cloud connectivity, enabling real-time data transmission. Professor Ahuja stated that the automatic weather station systems are widely used in agriculture, urban planning, disaster management, and environmental monitoring due to their ability to provide real-time weather data.

The weather stations developed by IIT Ropar can be used for weather predictions at local levels in areas ranging up to 10 to 15 km. These accurate weather predictions can help farmers take measures to protect their crops. In Uttar Pradesh, companies like Zomato and Swiggy are also using data from the weather stations to determine delivery times for their orders.

When asked why no weather stations developed by IIT Ropar have been installed in Punjab, the director replied that the Punjab Government has not shown interest in the project.