Dr. M. Ravichandran Inaugurates Urban Testbed

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, operating under the ‘Mission Mausam’ initiative, has established a state-of-the-art Urban Testbed and Aerosol Observatory at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) in Ramapuram, Chennai.

Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr. M. Ravichandran officially inaugurated the laboratory and the Centre for Atmospheric Science Research and Innovation (CASRI) on 06 May 2026. In a significant move toward academic and scientific synergy, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between IITM and SRMIST in the presence of Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

During his keynote address, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr. M. Ravichandran highlighted that the facility houses approximately 15 sophisticated instruments valued more than ₹60 crore. These instruments are designed to track nearly 50 types of atmospheric data, including weather patterns, wind flow, aerosol particles, and temperature variations and emphasized that the integration of this data will lead to much more accurate weather forecasts for the public.

Notably, He stated that while Chennai has various weather monitoring tools distributed across the city, this comprehensive observatory is the first of its kind to be established in India.(UPDATED ON 6TH MAY 2026)