Kishtwar gets a seismological observatory, taking Jammu and Kashmir's count to four

2 November 2026

A new seismological observatory has been opened at Kishtwar, which lies in a high seismic zone, by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State with independent charge for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, inaugurated it. The observatory has digital seismic equipment and will send its readings in real time to the round-the-clock Earthquake Monitoring Centre of the National Centre for Seismology in New Delhi. With this, Jammu and Kashmir has four seismological observatories, at Jammu, Srinagar, Udhampur and Kishtwar. The minister also set out how the India Meteorological Department has widened weather monitoring in the region: from no Doppler Weather Radar in 2014 to four installed over twelve years, with four more going up to make eight. Automatic Weather Stations in the area have grown from three to twelve, of which four are for Kishtwar and two each for Doda and Ramban, while rain gauge stations have gone from nine to fifteen. Four further Doppler Weather Radars are to be commissioned at Doda, Kishtwar, Anantnag and Baramulla. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, attended.