Telangana Villages to Receive Weather Alerts on WhatsApp Under Mission Mausam
Weather forecasts and alerts could soon arrive on WhatsApp for residents of villages across Telangana, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) rolls out a panchayat-level dissemination system under the Mission Mausam initiative. This information was shared during question hour in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The initiative will enable automated delivery of weather forecasts and agrometeorological advisories to panchayat members, ward members, and panchayat secretaries through WhatsApp. This will allow critical information on heavy rain, heatwaves, lightning, and other weather events to reach villages faster. The alerts will be routed through the newly developed Panchayat Mausam Seva Portal, which has been integrated with digital governance platforms such as e-GramSwaraj, Meri Panchayat App, e-Manchitra, and Mausamgram.
Replying to a question by Telangana MP Arvind Dharmapuri, Minister of State in the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, said the IMD is expanding its meteorological capabilities to strengthen block and panchayat-level weather forecasting and advisory services for farmers across the country, including Telangana.
“To improve last-mile dissemination, the IMD is also leveraging the Krishi Sakhis and Pashu Sakhis networks under the Ministry of Rural Development to deliver weather updates and crop and livestock advisories to remote farming communities,” the reply said.
It further added that the IMD currently operates one S-Band Doppler Weather Radar at the Meteorological Centre in Hyderabad, providing observational coverage for all districts of Telangana with an effective range of 250 km and a maximum range of 500 km. Additional radar coverage is provided by Doppler Weather Radars located at Visakhapatnam, Machilipatnam, Solapur, and Nagpur.
Weather observations in Telangana are supported by three manned surface observatories at Hyderabad, Nizamabad, and Ramagundam, along with two upper-air Radio Sonde observatories at Hyderabad and Ramagundam. The IMD also operates 31 Automatic Weather Stations and 52 Automatic Rain Gauges across Telangana. Besides these, 369 rain gauges function under district-wise and block-wise rainfall monitoring networks, providing coverage across all districts.
“Agrometeorological advisory services are operational in every district of Telangana with support from the Central and State agriculture departments and agricultural universities. Crop and weather advisories are issued twice every week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, to guide farming operations,” the minister said.
The minister also confirmed that important agricultural districts, such as Nizamabad and Jagtial, receive localised weather and crop advisories covering major crops, including paddy, turmeric, and maize. Farmers in these districts receive seven-day medium-range weather forecasts, updated three times daily, along with location-specific three-hourly nowcasts available round the clock.
Impact-based extreme weather bulletins are issued 24 to 48 hours in advance, while Agromet Advisory Bulletins containing crop-specific warnings and guidance are released every Tuesday and Friday to help minimise agricultural losses. The IMD has also established a multi-hazard early warning platform to ensure farmers receive timely alerts on heavy rainfall, heatwaves, hailstorms, lightning, and possible crop damage. Advisories are disseminated in Telugu, Hindi, English, and other regional languages through multiple channels.
