Cloud-seeding in June to tackle deficient rainfall

Cloud seeding in Karnataka will be carried out from the last week of June to tackle deficient rainfall and the work order for the exercise is likely to be issued next Monday.

"Weather Modification Inc., a US-based firm will supply Radars and the required aircraft to carry out cloud seeding. Though the state government had hoped to launch cloud seeding by the third week of June, it was delayed by a week as it would take some time for them to bring the required equipment from US," said H S Prakash Kumar, Chief Engineer, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department.

He was speaking at an international conference on 'Operational Cloud Seeding' organised by Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department, here on Thursday.

The decision to go for cloud seeding came in the wake of below normal rainfall forecast by India Meteorological Department in the upcoming South West monsoon season. The state government has set aside Rs 45 cr for cloud seeding during the season.

Earlier, RDPR minister Krishna Byre Gowda said that cloud seeding was one among the several solutions for drinking water crisis in the state. Apart from it, the state government has taken up long-term initiatives such as "Jalamrutha," to rejuvenate water bodies, implement water harvesting and other measures to improve the availability of water, he said.

Speaking at the conference G S Bhat, Professor, Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Chairman, Technical Committee for Cloud Seeding, said that cloud seeding was being considered only as a mitigation measure.

"By the time we realise that rainfall is deficient, half the monsoon season will be over. It should be carried out annually as there are regions in the state which receive deficient rainfall every year," he said.

HAL proposes to build cloud-seeding aircraft

With the technical committee for cloud-seeding recommending that the exercise be taken up on an annual basis, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has evinced interest to build an aircraft for the purpose.

Currently, the state government is relying on foreign companies for cloud-seeding and has set aside Rs 91 cr for the purpose for two years.

H S Prakash Kumar, Chief Engineer, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department, said that HAL had recently written to the state government that it could build an aircraft for cloud-seeding with technical assistance from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. "We have requested HAL for a presentation on the proposal," he said. The proposed method is expected to be more cost efficient.

However, since tender process for the next two-years is complete, HAL and IIT-Kanpur can be considered for the purpose only after the said period, he added.