Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority
Mumbai, 21 May 2026
Maharashtra becomes the first state in the country to integrate Bharat Forecast System (BharatFS), an indigenous advanced weather forecasting model, marking a paradigm shift towards enhancing situational awareness through geospatial decision-making
The Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, to strengthen the State’s ability to prepare for and respond to extreme weather-related disasters.
This partnership brings advanced weather forecasts directly into the government’s decision-making systems. For the first time, Bharat Forecast System (BharatFS) — an indigenous forecasting tool developed by Government of India under India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Mission Mausam — is being utilized within the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) through its Geospatial Decision Support System (GeoDSS) for effective disaster management.
The most significant gain from this collaboration is access to high-resolution weather data and timely forecast information for enabling anticipatory actions. BharatFS can generate forecasts for areas as small as 6 km × 6 km, enabling weather predictions at the gram panchayat or sub-taluka level. This marks a major improvement over earlier district-level/ 12km x 12km area forecasts, which will help local administration and authorities to take timely and targeted preparedness measures. The integration is expected to significantly support preparedness efforts during the ongoing heatwave and upcoming monsoon period.
The key benefits of this initiative are:
- 3-hourly high resolution weather forecast enabling timely and targeted early warnings for the citizens
- Integration with risk analytics for impact-based forecast (IBF)
- Automation of trigger-based alerts and other workflows for various hydrometeorological hazards
- Integration with CAP-Sachet platform enabling alert dissemination simultaneously through multiple channels such as sirens, mobile messages, and public broadcasts.
- Better prediction of extreme weather events, improving preparedness for floods, thunderstorms and landslides
- Stronger systems to ensure warnings reach the last mile — right down to vulnerable families and individuals.
Shri. Girish Gita Dattatray Mahajan, Hon’ble Minister, Disaster Management, Relief & Rehabilitation Department, Government of Maharashtra, said, “This partnership marks an important step towards strengthening disaster preparedness systems in Maharashtra. The integration of BharatFS into the State’s disaster management framework will help improve timely early warnings, local-level preparedness, and coordinated response during extreme weather events, especially during the ongoing heatwave and upcoming monsoon season.”
Information of weather parameters including rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction and cloud cover is updated every three hours enabling near real-time forecast availability and improving overall situational awareness of weather events.
Smt. Vinita Vaid Singal, I.A.S., Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, Relief & Rehabilitation Department, Government of Maharashtra, said, “The integration of BharatFS with Maharashtra’s GeoDSS platform will strengthen real-time situational awareness and support faster, more informed decision-making at State and district levels. This initiative will further enhance preparedness, coordination, and last-mile dissemination of weather-related early warnings.”
Maharashtra, through its State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), becomes the first State in the country to integrate BharatFS data and develop workflows for disaster preparedness and early warning operations.
Dr. Bhalchandra P. Chavan, I.A.S., Director, State Disaster Management Authority, said, “This collaboration places scientific weather knowledge directly in the hands of our district and local administrators and we aim to make these services directly accessible to citizens across the State. It is a practical and powerful step towards keeping our communities safe.”
The MoU reflects Maharashtra’s larger commitment to using technology and strong institutional partnerships to build a disaster-resilient future. It also aligns with India’s vision of strengthening leadership in climate and weather sciences while advancing the spirit of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
Citizens are encouraged to stay informed through official SDMA Maharashtra communication channels for verified updates, preparedness advisories, and real-time early warning information.
For Emergency Support & Disaster Alerts:
• 1070/ 1077 (SDMA / DDMA)
• 108 (Ambulance & Medical Emergency)
Citizens can also visit www.sdma.maharashtra.gov.in and follow @SDMAMaharashtra on social media for verified updates, preparedness guidance, and real-time early warning information.
