The Indian Meteorological Department has launched ‘NOWCAST’, a free SMS service of providing alerts and updates on extreme weather conditions to registered farmers once in three hours round-the-clock.
The programme was introduced by the Union Agriculture Ministry in the country in June 2015.
Under the ‘NOWCAST’ free SMS service will be sent in regional languages, English and Hindi.
The department will cover the farmers who have already registered their names with 146 weather stations of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
According to K. Madeswaran, Assistant Meteorologist here, the farmers should register their names with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra. The Department will inform the weather details such as maximum temperature, minimum temperature, humidity, rainfall, extreme weather conditions such as thunder, hailstorm etc.
The NOWCAST has immensely benefited the farmers and the Union Agriculture Ministry has proposed to cover more than one crore farmers under this programme.
Till now the India Meteorological Department was providing weather report and forecast to farmers for the next five days, once a day.
The farmers can also contact the toll-free number 1800 1801717 of the IMD for collecting all the weather related details district-wise.
Source : The Hindu
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