SAMBALPUR: Sept 18 [UDN}:A Doppler Weather Radar (DWR), described as the country’s 51st such weather radar, has been inaugurated at Sambalpur, marking a significant expansion of India’s weather-monitoring infrastructure and strengthening forecasting capabilities across western Odisha.
The newly installed radar has special regional importance as it will bring a large part of Odisha under enhanced weather surveillance and forecasting coverage. The system is expected to improve the monitoring of rainfall, thunderstorms, cyclonic activity and other weather developments, enabling more timely and accurate forecasts and warnings.
Officials said the Sambalpur installation is the third Doppler Weather Radar in Odisha, after the existing systems at Paradip and Gopalpur. Its location in western Odisha is expected to strengthen observation capabilities in areas that have traditionally depended on weather information generated from radar facilities located farther away.
The radar will operate 24 hours a day and is capable of providing detailed and accurate weather observations within a radius of around 250 kilometres. It can also track and forecast the movement and development of weather systems over distances extending up to approximately 450 kilometres.
The installation is expected to be particularly useful for monitoring rapidly developing weather conditions, including heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and other severe weather events. Improved real-time observations can support early-warning mechanisms and help government agencies, disaster-management authorities, farmers, transport operators and the general public prepare for adverse weather.
The Sambalpur radar will benefit people and authorities across 13 districts of Odisha, including Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Subarnapur, Balangir, Boudh, Nuapada, Angul, Kalahandi, Keonjhar and Dhenkanal.
Its coverage will also extend to parts of neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, giving the installation significance beyond Odisha’s borders.
The radar is being highlighted as a ‘Make in India’ technological facility, reflecting the growing role of indigenous capabilities in the country’s weather observation and forecasting network. With continuous monitoring and wider regional coverage, the Sambalpur DWR is expected to contribute to faster detection of significant weather developments and improved dissemination of forecasts and warnings.
The commissioning of the facility is therefore expected to strengthen Odisha’s overall disaster preparedness and weather forecasting network, particularly across the state’s western and interior districts.
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