PALAKKAD: The observatory of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) began functioning at Malampuzha near here on Wednesday from 8.30 am. Set up in Malampuzha, it was shifted from Tipu’s Fort, Palakkad, said P S Biju, scientist at IMD.The superintending engineer of the Archaeological Department had reportedly raised objections to the observatory’s presence within Tipu’s fort. So it was dismantled, rendering the observatory defunct for the last three years. However, since temperature variations were high in Palakkad district, with 40degrees recorded several times this year, the IMD decided to revive it.The Irrigation Department had provided space to set up the equipment, with two personnel for recording the reading two times a day. The IMD has also imparted training for them to read the temperatures.Biju said that the observatory was established long ago in Palakkad Fort because the place had a history of recording a temperature of 40 degrees since 1950s.The personnel would manually record the temperature at the observatory in Malampuzha. The IMD has manual observatories in Thiruvananthapuram, Punalur, Kollam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Karipur. It also has 45 automated weather stations in the state.
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