Weather forecasting agencies in India will focus their energies on predicting dust storms, which have claimed more than 100 lives across north India this summer, a senior official said on Monday.

Addressing the India-United States colloquium on Earth Observations and Sciences for Society and Economy, which got underway here, Union Earth Sciences Secretary M. Rajeevan said that people had started believing in Indian weather forecasting which has seen a transformation because of the adoption of better methodologies, training and new technology.