UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India’s Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System
Q1. For issuing multi-hazard early warnings through the MHEW-DSS, the India Meteorological Department coordinates with statutory disaster-management authorities operating at how many tiers of government?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q2. With reference to the institutional set-up of India's Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System (MHEW-DSS), consider the following statements:
1. It is implemented by the India Meteorological Department under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and not under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
2. Its coordination partner, the National Disaster Management Authority, functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
3. IMD is the sole agency authorised to originate every category of disaster alert on India's Common Alerting Protocol platform.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- It is implemented by the India Meteorological Department under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and not under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Its coordination partner, the National Disaster Management Authority, functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- IMD is the sole agency authorised to originate every category of disaster alert on India's Common Alerting Protocol platform.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. Regarding the indigenous development of the MHEW-DSS by IMD, consider the following statements:
1. It was developed in-house using open-source technology.
2. It has been in operation since 2023.
3. Its adoption eliminated dependence on foreign proprietary forecasting software.
4. It was developed by the National Remote Sensing Centre under ISRO.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- It was developed in-house using open-source technology.
- It has been in operation since 2023.
- Its adoption eliminated dependence on foreign proprietary forecasting software.
- It was developed by the National Remote Sensing Centre under ISRO.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 3 and 4
Q4. By developing the MHEW-DSS indigenously and ending dependence on foreign vendors, IMD is estimated to have made a one-time cost saving of approximately how much?
- A. ₹5.5 crore
- B. ₹55 crore
- C. ₹250 crore
- D. ₹2,500 crore
Q5. India's Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) based Integrated Alert System integrates how many central alert-generating agencies (including IMD) with the State Disaster Management Authorities?
- A. Four
- B. Five
- C. Six
- D. Seven
Q6. The CAP-based Integrated Alert System (SACHET), which carries IMD's multi-hazard alerts to the public, has been operationalised by which body?
- A. National Disaster Management Authority
- B. Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT)
- C. India Meteorological Department
- D. National Informatics Centre
Q7. The India Meteorological Department, the agency that developed the MHEW-DSS, was established in which year?
- A. 1864
- B. 1875
- C. 1899
- D. 1905
Q8. Which single event is cited as the benchmark disaster — causing about 10,000 deaths — after which IMD's cyclone warning capability underwent a paradigm shift towards near-zero-casualty forecasting?
- A. Cyclone Fani, 2019
- B. Cyclone Amphan, 2020
- C. The 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone
- D. Cyclone Phailin, 2013
Q9. IMD's hyperlocal Mausamgram platform provides comprehensive weather forecasts extending up to how many days ahead?
- A. 3 days
- B. 5 days
- C. 7 days
- D. 10 days
Q10. Mausamgram delivers hyperlocal forecasts down to which is the finest (smallest) administrative unit it resolves?
- A. District
- B. Block
- C. Gram panchayat / village
- D. Tehsil
Q11. With reference to the coverage and performance of the MHEW-DSS compared with earlier hazard-specific systems, consider the following statements:
1. It replaced fragmented hazard-wise forecasting with a single platform covering multiple hazards such as cyclones, floods, heatwaves and thunderstorms.
2. Its impact-based warnings reach nearly 80% of the population across India and neighbouring regions.
3. Real-time forecasting has cut forecast preparation time by half and has eliminated all forecast errors.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- It replaced fragmented hazard-wise forecasting with a single platform covering multiple hazards such as cyclones, floods, heatwaves and thunderstorms.
- Its impact-based warnings reach nearly 80% of the population across India and neighbouring regions.
- Real-time forecasting has cut forecast preparation time by half and has eliminated all forecast errors.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q12. The NDMA-SDMA-DDMA institutional framework, through which IMD's early warnings are acted upon, was created under which law?
- A. The Disaster Management Act, 2005
- B. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
- C. The National Security Act, 1980
- D. The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897