The Centre is planning to acquire exclusive aircraft for weather reconnaissance to make forecasting more realistic.

“This would enhance the accuracy of predictions as aircrafts would fly over the eye of the cyclone and gather technical parameters,” Mr Marri Shashidhar Reddy, Vice-Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority, said.

The authority was set up in 2004, after the devastating tsunami hit the eastern coast, to develop a response system to natural disasters.

Addressing a workshop on ‘Techniques of water conservation and rain-water harvesting for drought management' at Central Research Institute of Dryland Agriculture on Monday, he said many parts of South Asia have experienced droughts in the recent times.

About 24 delegates from the SAARC region (comprised of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan) participated in the workshop that discussed impact of climate change on water availability, ground-water recharge and rain-water management in various agro-ecological settings, a Government press release said.

Countries should grow more crops for every drop of water used and make a concerted effort in tackling damages caused by climate change, said Mr S.M. Virmani, Agro-meteorologist at International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics.