SASE begins avalanche forecasting for critical sites in Sikkim

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 13

After having focused on the Western Himalayas for the past 50 years, Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) has now extended its operational weather and avalanche forecasting for critical sites in Sikkim in the east, which has been experiencing climatic changes and deviation in snow precipitation.

A new technology demonstrator project, Snow and Avalanche Hazard Assessment of Sikkim (SAHAS), has been taken up by SASE to provide engineering solutions for avalanche mitigation and control in the strategically sensitive north-eastern state.

“The task is being executed in stages by strengthening our network of observatories and automatic weather stations. We are also developing machine learning and artificial intelligence based models for avalanche forecasting as well as undertaking avalanche hazard susceptibility mapping of the region,” Naresh Kumar, Director SASE said.

A Defence Research and Development Organisation laboratory based at Chandigarh, SASE’s mandate includes mountain meteorology and avalanche forecasting, artificial triggering and structural control in snowbound high altitude areas, mountain hazard mapping snow geo-intelligence and snow climate research.

During winters, many parts of the Indian Himalayas get affected due to severe cold weather events because of the movement of synoptic systems known as Western Disturbances. Heavy snowfall and gales associated with these systems cause snow avalanches and road blockages in snow bound mountainous regions.

According to Naresh Kumar, Sikkim has been experiencing heavier precipitation and longer spells of snow lately, resulting in a few causalities due to avalanches during last couple of years. SASE has already started issuing three-day advance avalanche warning and weather forecast for all critical sites in Sikkim on a daily basis. The forecast footprint would be further expanded.

SASE is also training Army personnel deployed in snow bound regions of the state in safety, search and rescue in avalanche prone regions. Already, three such programmes have been conducted at different locations in Sikkim, which were attended by over 500 officers and troops.

The network of meteorological observatories and automatic weather stations being set up across Sikkim under project SAHAS will provide real time climatic data for developing avalanche and weather forecasts. This infrastructure is likely to be established before the onset of the winter this year.

A novel technological system, Avalanche Radar, is also planned to be made operational in Sikkim, which can sense the triggering of an avalanche and sound an alarm or automatically close road barriers to save people.

“We have also interacted with the Government of Sikkim and our services will be extended to civilian population as well as the state disaster management authority in the coming years,” Naresh Kumar said.