**Executive Summary**
This document is an answer to Unstarred Question No. 1778 in the Lok Sabha, dated December 10th, 2025, concerning the installation of new weather radars in Tamil Nadu under the National Radar Augmentation Plan. The response details the proposed number and locations of new radars, the current status of operational radars, and the criteria for determining radar placement across India. It includes information on existing and planned radar installations across the country.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **New Weather Radars in Tamil Nadu:**
* Five new weather radars are proposed for Tamil Nadu at Kanyakumari, Tiruchirappali, Coimbatore, Yercaud, and Ramanathapuram.
* Three radars are under the Mission Mausam and two are under the Tamil Nadu Disaster Risk Reduction Agency.
* **Current Weather Radar Status:**
* Eight radars are currently operational in Tamil Nadu and adjoining states, covering Tamil Nadu.
* Forty-seven radars are operational across India, covering 87% of the country's total area.
* **Future Radar Installation Criteria:**
* Future DWR installations will ensure complete radar coverage of the entire country.
* Considerations include vulnerability assessments in hilly, coastal, and metro areas, old radar replacement, redundancy in vulnerable areas, and site suitability.
**Impact Analysis**
* **Tamil Nadu Government**
**Impact**
Responsible for the installation and operation of two new weather radars through the Tamil Nadu Disaster Risk Reduction Agency.
**Action Required**
Procure and install the two weather radars at the designated locations.
* **Ministry of Earth Sciences**
**Impact**
Responsible for the overall implementation of the National Radar Augmentation Plan, including the installation of three weather radars in Tamil Nadu under the Mission Mausam.
**Action Required**
Procure and install the three weather radars at the designated locations.
* **Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)**
**Impact**
Operates the S-Band Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh and the C-Band DWR Thiruvananthapuram.
**Action Required**
Continue operating and maintaining the existing radars.
Key Entities Referenced
National Radar Augmentation Plan: A plan to increase the number of weather radars across India, including Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu: The specific state in India where new weather radars are proposed to be installed.
Ministry of Earth Sciences: The Indian government ministry responsible for the installation of new weather radars.
Mission Mausam: A project under which three of the proposed five radars are to be set up in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Disaster Risk Reduction Agency: An initiative of the Tamil Nadu Government under which two of the proposed five radars are to be set up.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1778
TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 10TH DECEMBER, 2025
INSTALLATION OF NEW WEATHER RADARS IN TAMIL NADU
1778. SHRI S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:
Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:
(a) the number and locations of new weather radars proposed to be installed in Tamil Nadu
under the National Radar Augmentation Plan and whether the sites have been identified
and if so, the details thereof;
(b) the total number of weather radars currently operational in Tamil Nadu including the
type of radar and year of commissioning;
(c) the total number of weather radars that are currently present in each State, State-wise;
(d) the number of additional weather radars proposed to be added in each State and Union
Territory under the National Augmentation Plan along with the timeline set for each
State under the plan; and
(e) the details of the factors and criteria used by the Government in determining the number
and location of weather radars to be installed in each State?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
AND EARTH SCIENCES
(DR. JITENDRA SINGH)
(a) It is proposed to install 5 weather radars with locations at Kanyakumari, Tiruchirappali,
Coimbatore, Yercaud, and Ramanathapuram. Out of these five, three radars are under
the Mission Mausam & two radars are under the Tamil Nadu Government initiative
through the Tamil Nadu Disaster Risk Reduction Agency.
(b) Currently, 8 radars are operational in Tamil Nadu and adjoining States, which cover the
State. The list is enclosed in Annexure-1.
(c) Curretnly, 47 radars are in operational across India with 87% of the total area of the
country coming under radar coverage. A state-wise list is given in Annexure-2.
(d) & (e) In the coming years, additional DWRs will be installed as per the requirement based on
the following factors and criteria -
The entire country should be covered by radar for round-the-clock monitoring of
severe weather.
Relatively more numbers of radars in the hilly areas, coastal areas, and metro cities,
considering the vulnerability.
Replacement of old radars.
Redundancy in radar availability in the highly vulnerable areas.
Suitability of the location for the installation of radar.Annexure-1
1. S-Band Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, was
commissioned in 2004 and is operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO).
2. S-Band DWR Chennai at Chennai Port Authority (ChPA), Tamil Nadu, Commissioned
in 2002, operated by the IMD.
3. X-Band DWR at the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai, Commissioned
in 2021 and operated by the IMD.
4. C- Band DWR at IGCAR, Tamil Nadu, Commissioned in 2023, operated by DAE.
5. S-Band DWR Karaikal, Puducherry, Commissioned in 2015, operated by the IMD.
6. C- Band DWR Thiruvananthapuram operated by ISRO since 2016.
7. S-Band DWR Kochi, Kerala, operated by the IMD since 2017.
8. C- Band DWR Sulur, Tamil Nadu, operated by IAF since 2018.Annexure-2
S. No. State/Union Territory DWR Locations
1. Andhra Pradesh Machilipatnam (S-Band)
2. Andhra Pradesh Visakhapatnam (S-Band)
3. Andhra Pradesh Sriharikota, ISRO (S-Band)
4. Assam Mohanbari (S-Band)
5. Bihar Patna (S-Band)
6. Chhattisgarh Raipur
7. Goa Goa (S-Band)
8. Gujarat Bhuj (S-Band)
9. Himachal Pradesh Jot (X-Band)
10. Himachal Pradesh Murari Devi (X-Band)
11. Himachal Pradesh Kufri (X-Band)
12. Kerala Kochi (S-Band)
13. Kerala VSSC, ISRO Thiruvananthapuram (C-Band)
14. Madhya Pradesh Bhopal (S-Band)
15. Maharashtra Mumbai (S-Band)
16. Maharashtra Nagpur (S-Band)
17. Maharashtra IITM Solapur (C-Band)
18. Maharashtra Veravali (C-Band)
19. Maharashtra Mumbai, Juhu (X-band)
20. Maharashtra Mumbai, Panvel (X-band)
21. Maharashtra Mumbai, Kalyan, Dombivli (X-band)
22. Maharashtra Mumbai, Vasai, Virar (X-band)
23. Maharashtra Mahabaleshwar (X-band)
24. Meghalaya Cherrapunji, ISRO (S-Band)
25. Odisha Gopalpur (S-Band)
26. Odisha Paradip (S-Band)
27. Punjab Patiala (S-Band)
28. Rajasthan Jaipur (C-Band)
29. Tamil Nadu Chennai (S-Band)
30. Tamil Nadu Karaikal (S-Band)
31. Tamil Nadu NIOT Chennai (X-Band)
32. Telangana Hyderabad (S-Band)
33. Tripura Agartala (S-Band)
34. Uttarakhand Lansdowne (X-Band)
35. Uttarakhand Mukteshwar (X-Band)
36. Uttarakhand Surkanda Devi (X-Band)
37. Uttar Pradesh Lucknow (S-Band)
38. West Bengal Kolkata (S-Band)
39. Jammu & Kashmir Banihal Top (X-Band)
40. Jammu & Kashmir Jammu (X-Band)
41. Jammu & Kashmir Srinagar (X-Band)
42. Delhi Aya Nagar (X-Band)
43. Delhi Palam (S-Band)
44. Delhi HQ Mausam Bhawan (C-Band)
45. Ladakh Leh (X-Band)
46. Karnataka Mangaluru (C-Band)
47. Chhattisgarh Raipur (C-Band)
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