Mission Mausam: IITM Launches ₹60 Crore Urban Climate Observatory in Chennai

Key facts

• The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, established an Urban Testbed and Aerosol Observatory in Chennai under the Mission Mausam initiative of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Inaugurated on May 6, 2026, at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Ramapuram, the facility is India's first integrated urban weather and aerosol observatory.
• The observatory houses approximately 15 scientific instruments valued at over ₹60 crore and is capable of monitoring nearly 50 categories of atmospheric parameters.
• The facility's infrastructure includes around 100 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), three X-band radars, and a phased-array radar for continuous monitoring of rain bands and convective systems.
• Mission Mausam, launched in September 2024, aims to strengthen weather forecasting and disaster preparedness for sectors including agriculture, water resources, aviation, disaster management, and energy planning.