UP junks failure reports of weather monitoring systems

Lucknow: Following reports claiming that automatic weather stations (AWS) and automatic rain gauges (ARG) were not functioning properly across UP, the UP govt on Saturday issued a clarification, stating that the weather monitoring system is largely operational.

UP relief commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod said that the reports circulating in the public domain were misleading and presented an exaggerated picture of the situation.

“The data and field verification confirm that the majority of the installations are working satisfactorily,” said Yashod.

As per official records, a total of 450 AWSs have been installed at the tehsil level and 2,000 ARGs at the block level across the state. The installation reports for all sites were submitted by the Hyderabad-based private agency, Obel System Pvt Ltd, to the department on June 26, 2024.

Yashod acknowledged that a small number of units are currently non-functional. “At present, 54 sites — including five AWS and 49 ARG units — are not operating due to theft-related incidents, while three additional sites are affected by network connectivity issues.”

He said, “Calibration of the weather monitoring equipment was carried out by the firm between April and June 2025. Calibration is scheduled to be conducted both before and after the monsoon season each year. In addition, cleaning and preventive maintenance of the equipment are being undertaken on a quarterly basis.”

“To ensure ground-level assessment, district-wise teams were constituted in Oct 2024 for physical verification of all AWS and ARG installations across UP. Each team included a representative from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to examine functionality, sensor specifications and operational usability, along with a district civil engineer to assess the quality of associated civil works,” he added.

Joint verification reports submitted by all districts in Nov 2024 confirmed that the installation and functioning of the units were satisfactory.

“During these inspections, it was observed that 823 automatic rain gauges were installed on building rooftops, which is not in line with IMD guidelines. Subsequently, all such units were relocated to appropriate ground-level locations, and the relocation work was completed by Feb 2025,” Yashod told TOI.

He claimed, that at the request of the dept, IMD carried out an analysis of the data generated by AWS and ARG units across districts. “In an email dated Feb 9, 2026, IMD confirmed that the quality of the data was satisfactory. While isolated issues exist, the overall weather monitoring infrastructure in the state is functioning as intended,” said Yashod.