Thiruvananthapuram | A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Wednesday for the installation of a Doppler Weather Radar at Pazhassiraja College at Pulpally in Wayanad district for weather monitoring.

The MoU was signed by Sulthan Bathery diocese vicar general Sebastian Keepally, Thiruvananthapuram meteorological centre chief Neetha Gopal and state disaster management authority member secretary Shekhar L Kuriakose, in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, an official release here said.

The project's implementation meets the state's demand since 2010 to install a radar in North Kerala for weather monitoring.

The central meteorological department will start the work of installing the radar, which was developed by Bharat Electronics Limited, Bengaluru, at Pazhassiraja College in Pulpally.

The X-band radar, which can monitor weather over an area of 100 km, is being installed at Pulpally. The states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka will also benefit from the radar.

Doppler weather radar is a system for studying the unique characteristics of rain clouds.

Revenue Minister K Rajan, Finance Minister K N Balagopal, Chief Secretary A Jayathilak and chief minister's scientific advisor M C Dathan were among those present.

It is also planned to start courses in disaster mitigation at Pazhassiraja college in collaboration with the state disaster management authority and the central meteorological department, the release said.