The Hindu : International : Row over `rain theft'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 16, 2004

International

International

Row over `rain theft'

Beijing: Chinese meteorologists are accusing each other of what could prove to be one of the defining crimes of the 21st century: rain theft. The use of cloud-seeding guns, rockets and planes to induce rainfall has created tensions between drought-plagued regions, which are competing to squeeze more drops out of the sky than their equally arid neighbours. ``The practice has caused considerable controversy in recent days, with some saying that one area's success with rain has meant taking moisture meant for one place and giving it to another,'' the China Daily reported on Wednesday. The paper cited the case of central Henan Province, where five arid cities are racing one another to induce precipitation. When clouds passed over the area last Saturday, Pingdingshan municipality enjoyed a downpour of more than 100 mm, but Zhoukou had to make do with less than 30 mm. Meteorological officials in Zhoukou accused their counterparts in Pingdingshan of intercepting and over-using clouds. Legal experts are now calling for the Government to draft new laws on cloud-farming, but scientists say the effect of the technology is not yet clear enough to measure and regulate. —

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