HISTORY OF INDIA METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT
IN INDIA, THE EARLIEST METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS SEEM TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY “GOLDINGHAM” IN MADRAS (now CHENNAI) AND GOT MUCH APPRECIATION AND “ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL” WAS FORMED IN THE YEAR 1784 BY SIR WILLIAM JONES.
THE METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS RECORDED AS EARLY AS 1793 WERE SYSTEMETAICALLY RECORDED BY PREPARING A METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER IN 1796. THERE WAS NO PROPER SCIENTIFIC USE OF THESE OBSERVATIONS FROM 1796-1860. IN 1857, ACTING ON THE PROPOSAL OF ASIATIC SOCIETY, Col.R STRACHEY THEN APPOINTED A COMMITTEE, WHICH SUBMITTED IT’S REPORT IN 1862 AND HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF UNIFORMITY IN Met. OBSERVATIONS. RECOGNIZING THE VALUE OF REPORT, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT THEN ESTABLISHED THE METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT IN 1875, UNDER THE MINISTRY OF REVENUE,AGRICULTURE & COMMERCE, AND Mr. H F BLANFORD WAS APPOINTED AS THE FIRST “IMPERIAL METEOROLOGICAL REPORTER” WITH CALCUTTA (now KOLKATTA) AS HEADQUARTER. PARALLEL OBSERVATIONS WERE ALSO HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE RECORDED SINCE 1841 IN BOMBAY PRESIDENCY IN COLABA, BOMBAY (now MUMBAI). A TEMPORARY BRANCH OFFICE IN THE PREMISES OF TELEGRAPH OFFICE, SHIMLA WAS OPENED IN 1875. NAGPUR CITY OBSERVATORY CAME INTO EXISTENCE ON 01.01.1869 IN THE PREMISES OF MAYO HOSPITAL.
Mr. BLANFORD RETIRED ON 8th MAY 1889 AND HANDED OVER THE CHARGE TO Mr. JOHN ELIOT. ON 01st APRIL 1899, THE DESIGNATION OF IMPERIAL REPORTER WAS CHANGED TO “DIRECTOR GENERAL OF OBSERVATORY”. IT WAS DECIDED IN 1905 TO MAKE THE SIMLA OFFICE AS THE HEAD-QUARTER AND CALCUTTA OFFICE AS THE BRANCH OFFICE. DUE TO OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, THE SIMLA OFFICE (1916) WAS SHIFTED TO POONA (now PUNE) IN MARCH 1928. A FORECASTING CENTRE WAS OPENED IN DELHI IN 1929 AND SHIFTED TO PRESENT LOCATION ON LODHI ROAD, NEW DELHI-3 ON A 30-ACRE LAND IN 1940.
FOR SMOOTH RUNNING OF THE Met. DEPARTMENT, 7 REGIONAL METEOROLOGICAL CENTRES WERE ESTABLISHED IN 1945 AND WERE LOCATED IN BOMBAY, CALCUTTA, DELHI, KARACHI, LAHORE, MADRAS AND NAGPUR.
CENTRAL OBSERVATORY AT ALIPUR WAS THE FIRST OBSERVATORY IN INDIA TO IMPART TRAINING TO THE OBSERVERS, TO TEST THE INSTYRUMENTS AND STANDARDIZE FOR TAKING SEVERAL TYPES OF OBSERVATIONS.
A ‘NEWMAN BAROMETER’ WAS INSTALLED AT ALIPUR OBSERVATORY AND WAS USED AS A STANDARD BAROMETER. TWO OTHER BAROMETERS FOR SECONDARY USE WERE KEPT IN ALIPUR OBSERVATORY AND ARE STILL IN USE SINCE 1877.
A ‘DINES PRESSURE TUBE ANEMOGRAPH’ (DPTA) WAS INSTALLED AT ALLAHABAD IN 1895. A SHED FOR THERMOMETER WAS MODIFIED IN 1921 AND WAS CALLED AS ‘STEVENSON SCREEN’ AND ANEMOMETERS AND WIND VANES WERE MOUNTED ON ROOF TOP. CONTINUOUS RECORDS OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE, HUMIDITY, WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED AND RAINFALL IS AVAILBALE (OF SOME PALCES) SINCE 1871. UPPER AIR OBSERVATIONS USING BALLOONS STARTED IN 1877 WHICH FURTHERE IMPROVED WITH THE HELP OF KITED WERE MEASURED CARRYING METEOROGRAPH IN 1905. PRESENTLY IMD PROVIDES SERVICES RELATING TO METEOROLOGY, SEISMOLOFY AND ALLIED SUBJECTS TO DIFFERENT SECTORS AS FOLLOWS (See picture below):-
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| Services offered by India Meteorological Department |
The milestones of IMD:-
The Director Generals of IMD:-
The Director Generals of IMD:-
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| The Director Generals of India Meteorological Department |
Milind Phadke
+919890317557
