Now, satellite data to forecast flood in UP
The FMISC has issued advisory for establishment of 48 flood control room across the state that will collect data, monitor water levels.
The Flood Management Information System Centre (FMISC) of Uttar Pradesh is set to use real time satellite data to forecast flooding and issue early flood warning during the coming monsoon season.
“The use of satellite data will help in accurate and better prediction of rise in water levels in various parts of the state,” said Prabhat Kumar Dubey, superintending engineer, FMISC. For this the command centre has started collecting GPS (geo-positioning system) of flood -prone regions. “The GPS data will be matched with the data released from satellites that will be used to deduce required information,” informed Dubey. The FMISC command centre will also put up a dedicated team to analyse the data from satellite and make comparison.chnow
This comes almost a fortnight before the arrival of the monsoon that is scheduled to reach the state by June 23, as per the Indian Meteorological Department.
Each year, FMISC begins issuing flood alert to districts from the day the monsoon hits the state. Based on the forecast of monsoon, water level in rivers and the topography of a region, the FMISC issues a 48-hour advance flood warning. With the help of satellite data, the department is expecting to issue the warning almost 72 hours in advance. “The additional time window we get from using the satellite data can be used to make arrangements to reduce damage caused by flooding,” said Dubey. The presence of eight river basins, namely Rapti, Gandak, Ganga, Ghagra, Gomti, Ramganaga, Son and Yamuna in UP makes many parts of the state prone to flood. “Hence we keep a close eye on the water level of the rivers to issue early warnings,” he said. Last year, close to 60 people were killed in incidents related to flooding. In addition, floods severely damage crops.
48 CONTROL ROOMS
The FMISC has issued advisory for establishment of 48 flood control room across the state that will collect data, monitor water levels and work closely with local administration to ensure minimum damage by flooding. These centres will be assisted by 110 small wireless centres that will report to these centres.
