LUCKNOW, Aug. 13 -- Confusion over rainfall figures in Lucknow has once again brought to light the lack of coordination between the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the state government, which operates five automated weather stations (AWS) in the city. While these stations record daily rainfall, their data is not immediately available to the public, unlike in New Delhi, where readings from multiple locations are regularly shared. IMD Lucknow director Manish R Ranalkar said the department controls only the airport station, while the five AWS fall under the state government. "We get their data from time to time. In Delhi-NCR, our instruments are placed at multiple locations, which is not the case here," he said. The IMD's official weather station is located at Lucknow airport, Amausi, while the state government's AWSs are situated at Bani, Hanuman Setu, Aliganj control room, Mohanlalganj and Malihabad. These are monitored by the relief commissioner's office under the revenue department. On August 11, heavy downpour caused widespread waterlogging and traffic snarls across the city. Yet, the IMD's evening press note reported only 3.6 mm rainfall at the airport, a figure that surprised many who travelled across the city that day. The next day, August 12, after a request from this newspaper, a detailed breakdown revealed significant variation: Hanuman Setu recorded 47.8 mm, Aliganj 47.4 mm, Malihabad 22.5 mm, airport 3.6 mm, Mohanlalganj 1.2 mm and Bani nil. A similar situation occurred on August 4, when the IMD shared previous-day readings showing 91.3 mm at the airport, 32.7 mm at Bani, 66.6 mm at Aliganj, 73.6 mm at Hanuman Setu, 87.5 mm at Malihabad and 11.6 mm at Mohanlalganj. The city's average rainfall was pegged at 60.6 mm. Relief commissioner Bhanu Chandra Goswami stated that AWS data is shared with departments such as agriculture and irrigation but is not yet public. "We are developing an app to share some data. It is in an advanced stage of discussion," he added....