Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to integrate the Bharat Forecast System (BharatFS), an indigenous advanced weather forecasting model, into its disaster management framework to improve preparedness and response during extreme weather events.
The initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology to strengthen the state’s disaster preparedness systems.
Developed under the India Meteorological Department’s Mission Mausam initiative, BharatFS has now been integrated into Maharashtra’s State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) through its Geospatial Decision Support System (GeoDSS).
Officials said the system would significantly improve situational awareness and enable anticipatory action during disasters such as heatwaves, floods, thunderstorms, and landslides, especially ahead of the monsoon season.
One of the key features of BharatFS is its ability to generate high-resolution weather forecasts for areas as small as 6 kmX6 km, allowing predictions at the gram panchayat and sub-taluka levels.
Earlier forecasts were generally available at the district level or for areas measuring 12 kmX12 km.
Maharashtra eyes faster disaster response with automated alerts and hyperlocal forecasts
The system updates weather parameters including rainfall, temperature, wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, and cloud cover every three hours, enabling near real-time forecasting.
According to the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the initiative will support automated trigger-based alerts for hydrometeorological hazards and integrate with the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)-Sachet platform to disseminate warnings through multiple channels, including mobile alerts, sirens, and public broadcasts.
Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said the partnership marked an important step towards strengthening the state’s disaster preparedness systems.
“The integration of BharatFS into the State’s disaster management framework will help improve timely early warnings, local-level preparedness, and coordinated response during extreme weather events, especially during the ongoing heatwave and upcoming monsoon season,” stated Mahajan.
Vinita Vaid Singal, principal secretary of the Disaster Management, Relief and Rehabilitation Department, said the integration with Maharashtra’s GeoDSS platform would strengthen real-time situational awareness and support faster decision-making at the state and district levels.
According to SDMA Director Dr Bhalchandra P Chavan, the collaboration would help place scientific weather information directly in the hands of district and local administrators and eventually make such services accessible to citizens across the state.
`Initiative in line with Centre’s push for Atmanirbhar Bharat’
Officials said the initiative aligns with the Centre’s vision of strengthening India’s leadership in climate and weather sciences while advancing the goal of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
