Visakhapatnam, Jul 20: Local residents and fishermen have opposed the proposed move to shift the Cyclon Warning Centre of the meteorological department from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad.
The officials want cyclone warning centres to be located in coastal areas to cover the AP coast for forecasting of all bulletins for cyclones
Local residents and fishermen protested against this move and staged dharna on Thursday evening. The Vizag CWC is located in a prime place covering 1,000 km of area all along the North and South Andhra Coast.
“Most of the cyclones crossing these areas are forecast by the CWC in Visakhapatnam and the centre has been rendering an excellent service,” said CWC Director Ramachandrudu.
Moreover, Hyderabad will be an inland place away from the coast at a distance of 700 km, he added. This centre also works in close association with the Vizag centre of the National Institute of Oceanography.
The CWC has helped forecast many impending cyclones and allied phenomena like low-pressure phenomena with perfect precision and accuracy and has helped save the lives, properties of people and helped fishermen, ports of the coastal areas of the State.
In bad weather like cyclones (severe cyclone and super cyclone) more than 500 bulletins were issued to the all state officials, fishermen and farmers and other public organisations.
India Meteorological department's observatory was established in 1870 at Visakhapatnam. It is one of the oldest observatories on the east coast of India.
Pilot balloon observatory was added afterwards. During Second World War, a forecasting unit was started in the airport, and an American Radiosonde station was set up to take upper air data. It was manned by Americans. Around 1944 the station was upgraded to class 5 .Itwas again upgraded to DMO in 1965.
APT unit to receive cloud imagines from satellite started functioning in June 1977 in Andhra university campus.
