Chennai - No rain as of now 9:20pm.

Latest IR shows a disorganized LOW over east-central Andhra .. http://ping.fm/QcSGI

India makes big push to study Himalayan ecology

Urbanisation, irresponsible tourism, overuse of water, badly planned power and infrastructure projects and deforestation are all affecting the Himalayas, acknowledged a report released by the government here Tuesday. Prepared by the Almora-based G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development for the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the report lists guidelines and 'best practices' in each of these areas. The report will form a key input into the formulation of India's National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, under India's National Action Plan for Climate Change, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh told reporters while releasing the report. To study the Himalayan ecosystem - one of the worst victims of climate change - the government is also setting up 15 weather monitoring stations as well as asking the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to use its satellites to track changes to the environment. A national institute of Himalayan glaciology is also being set up as part of the Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Glaciology, Ramesh said. With widespread fears that Himalayan glaciers - that supply water to major river systems of South Asia including the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus - are receding due to global warming, Ramesh said: 'India must have its own capacity to monitor the health of the glaciers.' He expected the plan for the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem to be ready in a couple of months

Hostile weather hits Himachal’s seed potato yield

Deficient snow last winter and the unusual rise in temperatures this summer could bring down the seed potato production in Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh by 25-30 percent, officials here say.

The landlocked Lahaul valley is one of India's major disease-free seed potato-producing regions, with more than 90 percent of the produce going to potato-growing states like West Bengal, Bihar and Karnataka.

'The lack of adequate snowfall during winter and abnormal rise in temperatures this summer have badly hit the seed potato crop. The total production would be 25-30 percent lower than last year,' agriculture deputy director J.S. Chauhan told IANS.

Total production this season will be around 120,000 bags of 50 kilograms each, considerably less than last year's 160,000 bags, he said.

Lahaul valley is known for producing pest-resistant Kufri Chandramukhi and Kufri Jyoti varieties of seed potatoes.

Amar Chand Dogra, acting managing director of the Lahaul Seed Potato Growers Cooperative Marketing Ltd that is run by the farmers of the valley, confirmed that the potato crop has been affected this season due to unfavourable weather.

'Lack of snowfall during winter has lessened moisture content in the soil during the sowing season (May-June). And then the rise in temperature in summer affected propagation of the crop,' Dogra said.

Farmer Singhi Ram of Keylong, the district headquarters, said while potato sowing is generally over by mid-June, it has been delayed this year due to the lack of rains. 'The situation was further aggravated by continuous dry spells,' he added.

Added Suresh Kumar, another farmer: 'Our livelihood is dependent on potatoes. We get just one crop a year (as the area is covered with massive snowfall almost six months). If such situation continues, we will be forced to switch over to the cultivation of peas and hops.'

Himachal Pradesh has received 33 percent less rainfall this monsoon. 'The overall monsoon was below average in most parts of the state,' said meteorological department director Manmohan Singh.

Abhijit Ghosh, a trader from Kolkata, said the demand of Lahaul's seed potatoes was quite high as the crop had been damaged extensively in Karnataka, West Bengal and Bihar due to a late blight disease.

'We are here to buy blight-resistant potato seeds, but the output here is not adequate. Even the crop quality has been affected this time,' he said.

The arrival of the potato crop in the market would continue till mid-November. Currently, wholesale prices of seed potato at Keylong are hovering between Rs.1,000 and Rs.1,200 for a 50-kilogram pack.

Around 2,000 farmers in the Lahaul valley cultivate potatoes over 900 hectares. The other cash crops in the region are peas, cauliflower and hops, besides fruit crops like apple, pear, apricot, almond and plum.

Chennai - Our previous tweet is going to be wrong in another 1 hr... A sharp shower moving in from west... Showers in another 1hr max.

Chennai - Mild evening with 60% partly HIGH cloudy .. No LOW clouds .. And NO more rain threat for today.

Latest satellite shows heavy showers near central Andhra coast .. http://ping.fm/OyiZZ

Earthquake in Indoneasia . TSUNAMI WARNING to INDIA

Philippine Flood .. Tropical cyclone Ketsana .. http://ping.fm/dwWdu

Somali pirate attacks up after monsoon lull: US Navy

Look at the ferocity of the LOW present near Vizag for past 2 days .. http://ping.fm/fqDFL .(latest 12:38pm IST IR shot Weather.com)

Chennai - Touched a high of 34.1°C (1:02pm)

SW monsoon withdrew from Delhi on September 28 even as the normal date for withdrawal of monsoon is mid-September

Monsoon over, overstayed by a fortnight .. http://ping.fm/EFqVm

Nagercoil - Heavy rain thruout yesterday, night till morning... last of South-west monsoon.

yesterday's LOW still persists .. http://yfrog.com/14k0xj .. It'll gain strength in afternoon and will cause heavy showers for Andhra.

Chennai - After yesterday evening's mild drizzle and some mild showers in some area... no rain overnight.

Low pressure near north-coastal Andhra still persists... http://ping.fm/tUzjc

Chennai - Hazy and high cloud morning.. again going to be warm day till 1pm.