Kovai Corpn to install rain gauges at 12 locations across city

The Coimbatore Corporation is installing its own rain gauges at 12 locations across the city to obtain real-time, location-specific rainfall data and improve its response during heavy rain.
Rain gauges were installed at R.S. Puram and Town Hall before the recent spell of rain, while one was installed at Vilankurichi on Tuesday. The installation process at the remaining locations is expected to be completed within a week. The project is estimated to cost around ₹10 lakh.
The gauges will operate on the tipping-bucket principle, with each tip representing 0.2 mm of rainfall. Rainwater collected through a funnel fills a small bucket, which tips automatically when it reaches a calibrated volume, empties and resets. Each tip is electronically recorded to calculate the amount of rainfall received over a given period. The devices will transmit rainfall readings to a central system at one-minute intervals. The data will be uploaded to cloud storage, enabling the Corporation to access and analyse readings through its Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC).
Until now, the Corporation has relied on rainfall data from the district administration and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, which are not available in real time, an official
said. The new network would help the civic body identify locations receiving heavy rainfall in near real time and mobilise personnel to address waterlogging and other rain-related problems more quickly, the official added.