The Hindu Business Line : Digital radios for fishermen

IN six months' time, if the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has its way, fishermen along the long coastline of India, could be in for small mercies in the form digital radios. These low-cost digital radios while entertaining fishermen with popular songs as they venture out into the difficult waters, would continuously update them on weather and the places where high probability of fishes pool in.

The IMD has in collaboration with the Semiconductor Complex Ltd (SCL), Chandigarh, developed an `affordable' digital radio receiver, which fishermen can carry along. Every hour, bulletins would be put out in various local languages giving out weather conditions, tides and also locales for fishing, said Dr S.K. Srivastav, Director-General of IMD.

The IMD and SCL have customised the digital radio sets of World Space Inc which are expensive to suit the requirements and bring them to `reasonable' costs. "With the help of the Department of Fisheries under the Union Agriculture Ministry, we are trying to make available the radios to fishermen," he told newspersons on the sidelines of an international symposium on natural hazards (INTROMET-2004), organised by the Indian Meteorological Society (IMS).

The premier meteorological department has already completed trials on prototype radio sets. The IMD is mandated to provide forecast data and is confident that both the All India Radio (AIR) and private radios would be more than willing to carry the information, which can help millions of fishermen families, improve their life, Dr Srivastav said.

The IMD is working on developing customised, online advisory services on a range of meteorology-related issues, using the satellite network. In the next two years, it will implement a project that will see the spread of Integrated Meteorological Data Reception & Analysis Systems (IMDRAS) in the country, he said.

During 2004, IMDRAS, which are capable of receiving data from satellites, would be installed in compact met forecast offices to be created. By the end of 2005, the number is expected to be increased to 10 districts in each State, Dr Srivastav said.

The IMD has developed these portable antenna receivers and transferred the know-how for commercial production to 5-6 companies. Various agri, meteorological, disaster management information would be accessible on subscription through a single window service, once the subscriber has the receiver set. The system has been put through trials and is now operational in Pithoragarh in Uttaranchal.

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