Madikeri:
The Kodagu Technology Users’ Association, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched a ‘Sonda’ weather balloon into the open sky on Thursday, April 19 to monitor weather.
The balloon was released by IAS officer and Coffee Board chairman Jawaid Akhtar at Garagandur near Madapur in northern Kodagu. He said the coffee planters in Kodagu so far faced hardships because of changes in weather. With a view to avoid them, and with ISRO collaboration, this unit had been set up. Feedback received from this unit would be useful for the coffee-growers to keep track of the vagaries of weather and plan their agricultural activities, he said.
Akhtar further said that subsidies for coffee-growers had been announced under the 12th five-year plan and assured that the Coffee Board was committed to protecting the interest of the coffee planters.
Kodagu Technology Users’ Association (KTUA) secretary M B Bopanna said that weather information centres had been set up in 21 points in the district. Another 10 were being planned to be opened soon. Launching of each balloon would cost Rs 4,000, he said. Besides reporting the weather conditions at different points in the district, the balloon unit would record the rainfall, direction of the wind, temperature and humidity, water resources and the like.
The unit will rise to an altitude of 32 kms and will, every three minutes, transmit the information to the ISRO centre in Ahmedabad, said Bopanna.
KTUA president Kitty Devaiah, vice president Bose Mandanna and joint secretary Subbaiah provided a variety of information about the weather balloon. ISRO adviser Dr Das, another former IAS officer hailing from Kodagu Rathi Vinay Jha and others were present.
The 21 points of weather monitoring: D Chennamma PU College – Madapur, Coovercolly Estate – Belur, Kaukudi Estate, Durgadevi Estate – Hattihole, Lakshmi Estate – Kanchanakolli, Talacauvery, Ishwar temple – Napoklu, Kattimadu Estate – Margodu, Nakoor Estate – Sunticoppa, Coffee Research Centre – Chettalli, Elk Hill Estate – Siddapur, panchayat office – Maldare, Tata Coffee Estate – Pollibetta, Chennangolli Estate – Devarapura, Nittoor Estate – Nittoor, Sukalia Estate – Kutta, Forest College – Ponnampet, Government Primary School – V Badaga, Dental College – VIrajpet, Ram Prasad Estate – Palangala and Coffee Growers’ Association – Madikeri.
The balloon launching could have taken place a few days earlier, but the requisite permission was yet to be received from the Mangalore airport.
Vice president of KTUA Bose Mandanna, also a former vice president of the Coffee Board said,“It is mandatory for us to get permission from nearby airports to flow the balloon. We have got permission from the district administration and Airports Authority of India.”
Speaking to our Mangalore bureau, Mangalore airport director M R Vasudeva confirmed that the permission had since been given.
Bose Mandanna futher said that based on the data planters could decide if they could wait for the rain or could use the sprinklers. Irrigating an acre of land is estimated to require a lakh litre of water. Almost as a rule, all coffee-growing areas in the state have been facing power shortage, planters have to use diesel to use sprinklers.
source: http://www.mangalorean.com / by Team Mangalorean, Madikeri / by Ashwinin Appaiah with Vartha Pics / April 21st, 2012
