Challenges with the Accurate Estimate of Rainfall

Most of the rainfall in India occurs in a very specific window of seasons. However, for the accurate estimate of the monsoons and the obtained rainfall, it is essential that accurate data be obtained so that the policymakers and the administrators are able to formulate the future policy based on accurate results.

Why is rainfall data important?

• The rainfall data is important as it allows the government to gauge if an adequate amount of rainfall has taken place or not in an area.?
• This will allow the government to either declare draught or rain deficiency in that area and initiate relief measures accordingly.

How is this data captured?

• The rainfall data is obtained from stations established to measure the rainfall using standard cylinders and gauges.
• This rainfall data is then compared with the historical data of the rainfall in the region to determine how good or bad that year’s rainfall is compared to a 5- or 10-year average.?
• Usually, such data is available with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in two forms: the current week?s rainfall numbers and the cumulative rainfall numbers of the season.
• The IMD also provides data sets for the district-wise and State-wise rainfall data. However, the entire process is a highly tiring and cumbersome process.
• There are also significant gaps in the data and several datasets are redundant. For example, if the data of rainfall for 1902 to 2017 is available, then the datasets for 1902-2015 and 1902-2016 are unnecessary.