The first avalanche monitoring radar in India was set up in North Sikkim by the Indian Army and the Defence Geoinformatics and Research Establishment (DGRE). On September 20, 2022, Lieutenant General Tarn Kumar Aich, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, General Officer Commanding TriShakti Corps, launched the radar at one of the Indian Army’s Forward Posts stationed at a height of 15,000 feet in Sikkim.
This radar, the first of its kind in India, will help save the lives of soldiers and lessen property damage by having the potential to detect avalanches within three seconds of their trigger. The DGRE of DRDO, a group involved in predicting and reducing the avalanche threats faced by the Indian Army in the Himalayan Region, turned the avalanche radar operational.
The radar can detect an avalanche in less than three seconds by using a series of brief microwave pulses that are distributed all through the target. In case an avalanche is triggered, the radar can detect the avalanche’s path and size while constantly scanning the targeted slope for avalanche release.
It is an all-weather solution that can see through snow, fog, and at night. It also covers an area of 2 sq/km, avoiding the need to install extra instruments in dangerous avalanche-prone locations. The alarm system that the radar is connected to allows for automatic control and warning procedures in the case that an avalanche is triggered. The event’s photos and videos are automatically saved for expert review in the future. In addition to being used to identify avalanches, this radar may also be used to find landslides.
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