Early warning systems are a critical but under-utilised component of disaster risk reduction in India. Evaluate this in light of Mission Mausam.

Q. Early warning systems are a critical but under-utilised component of disaster risk reduction in India. Evaluate this in light of Mission Mausam. (15 marks, 250 words)

An early warning system (EWS) forecasts a hazard and communicates it in time to act. Sendai Framework Target G and India's own record show their value—yet last-mile use lags forecasting capability, a gap Mission Mausam seeks to close.

Critical value—strengths reinforced by Mission Mausam - Proven life-saving impact: cyclone deaths fell from ~10,000 (1999) to near-zero during 2020–24, driven by accurate warnings and evacuation [4]. - Mission Mausam (₹2,000 crore, 2-year outlay under MoES; executed via IMD, IITM, NCMRWF) upgrades observation and modelling [3]. - Indigenous Bharat Forecast System (6 km) enables panchayat-level forecasts; 87 new Doppler radars targeted by 2026 [4]; a reported 40% gain in severe-weather accuracy, with Mausamgram giving hourly-to-10-day public forecasts [1].

Under-utilisation—persisting gaps - Coverage thin over Himalayas and North-East; cloudbursts and flash floods remain under-warned despite the radar push [5]. - Warning-to-action gap: granular forecasts often fail to reach or move farmers and fishers; dissemination and community response lag the science. - Neglected hazards: heatwaves, lightning (a leading killer) and urban floods are less served than cyclones. - Coordination: converting IMD alerts into local NDMA/state action needs stronger SOPs [5].

Mission Mausam decisively narrows the technological gap, validating that EWS are critical to DRR. The residual challenge is utilisation—last-mile, impact-based, actionable warnings. Coupling forecasting gains with community awareness and NDMA convergence, in line with Sendai Target G, can make India both weather-ready and disaster-resilient.

(~250 words)

Sources: 1. PIB — Parliament Question: Weather Forecasting and Early Warnings — 40% accuracy gain; Mausamgram forecast tiers 2. PIB — PM launches 'Mission Mausam', releases IMD Vision-2047 — launch, 14 Jan 2025 3. PIB — Cabinet approves 'Mission Mausam' — ₹2,000 cr outlay, MoES, implementing institutes 4. PIB — Mission Mausam Unveiled: ₹2,000 crore initiative — BharatFS 6 km, 87 radars, cyclone deaths to zero 5. PIB — Parliament Question: Implementation of Mission Mausam — regional rollout, coordination gaps