Doppler radar to benefit 8 districts soon

The Doppler radar to be commissioned at the Karaikal cyclone detection centre will help farmers and fishermen of eight districts.

The final phase of installing the state-of-the-art radar, which will help in enhanced weather forecasting, is nearing completion.

Sources in the Meteorological Department said a specialised crane from Chennai would hoist the 15-tonne equipment and place atop the 12-metre-high building.

The process would be completed by December.

The radar will be able to predict weather in 150 km, almost accurately, benefitting Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Pudukottai, among other districts.

P.S. Biju, station director of the centre, said the lifting of the radar and its components was crucial to the success of the mission. Once the radar was placed atop the station, assembling its components would begin. The installation process would be supervised by scientists from China and the United States.

The radar has been designed by the American aerospace major, Lockheed Martin, and was fabricated by a firm in China. The radar is expected to operate from January.