Weather data collection in the State has become more inclusive. A recent series of lectures on climate change and weather data by both professionals and amateur weather observers points to the process of data collectors reaching people outside academic structures.
Weather forecasts need accurate data, and the improvement in technology has helped local and amateur weather watchers collect data in a scientific manner enabling localised predictions such as possible landslips, said N. Shaji, Ernakulam district president of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad. Such localised predictions are not possible for agencies like the India Meteorological department (IMD), which collects data as national trends, covering large swathes of areas, he added.
One of the recent examples of the use of locally collected weather data to understand a weather incident is the lightning strike in Malappuram district. The lightning strike accompanying rain wreaked havoc, damaging electrical home equipment and instruments. The surprise was that heavy rain, akin to a cloudburst, had taken place locally. And, students at the nearby Vivekananda School, Palemad, had reported that around 10 cm of rain was recorded in the area over a period of an hour, reports said.
C. Jayaraman, managing director of community sourced modelling solutions Equinoct, involved in studying and providing people-centric solutions to weather-induced conditions, said that the agency’s work at Puthenvelikkara in Ernakulam to study flood and waterlogging triggered by tidal waves started around two years ago. Equinoct is one of the first such ventures involving people as community-based data collection also helps create a climate-resilient community.
Abhilash Joseph, an IT professional and researcher in psychology, is an amateur weather watcher, who along with more than a dozen others voluntarily collaborate with government agencies to provide data. He said that the government had limitations in terms of manpower and reach. The gap can be filled in by others. As a result of positive efforts by amateur weather watchers, the government has taken note of the contributions and begun to utilise their expertise and interest in the area, he added.
Manjula Bharathi, dean, School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, said that the entire discourse on climate change and disasters had now changed to include discussions on their social consequences. Vulnerable groups like the poor, women, children, people with special needs, and tribal communities suffer as they are not in a position to resort to mitigation measures, she said. The “lived in experience” of people has emerged at the centre of the discourses now, she added.
