The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Cloud-seeding runs into rough weather

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 04, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Cloud-seeding runs into rough weather

By Our Staff Reporter

KURNOOL, SEPT. 3. The much-publicised cloud-seeding programme involving a foreign agency with its headquarters at Nandyal ran into rough weather with the local meteoroligsts claiming that the method adopted by the foreign agency would be of not much help in Indian conditions.

The three-member task force panel, headed by the Director of Cyclone Warning Centre at Visakhapatnam, J.M. Naidu, felt that the US company, Weather Modification Incorporation, was equipped to seed only cold clouds at an altitude of 20,000 ft and above. But most of the time, warm clouds floating at 2,000 ft and above brought much of the rain in Indian conditions. The cold clouds were available for a brief period during beginning and end of the monsoon period.

Impact studied

Apart from Mr. Naidu, the retired Engineer, Sivaji, and the environmentalist, Purushotham Reddy, studied the impact of the on-going cloud-seeding programme and discussed with the officials of Weather Modification company.

Mr Naidu said yield from warm cloud could not be neglected as some times they cause a rainfall up to 30 mm. However, the aircraft should fly at a low altitude ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 ft. The depth of the warm cloud would be small from one to 3 km while the cold cloud would have width up to 7 km. He said flying at low altitude to seed warm clouds was wrought with risk as the hills themselves were as high as 2,000 ft at some places.

Limitations

In the present system, the meteorologists were taking more than four hours to track the clouds and by the time the aircraft were dispatched the clouds dissipated.

The aircraft used for the operation had no night navigation facilities. Mr. Naidu said round-the-clock tracking and seeding facilities alone would bring about good result. Only the meteorologists with knowledge of Indian weather conditions and pilots with skill to fly at low altitude and of night navigation would be able to achieve the best result.

Also, the committee felt that the foreign agency used a small quantity of chemical up to 24 kg while Taiwan and other countries spread chemical up to 2,500 kg.

The panel also stressed the need for use of suitable size of chemical particles that churned warm clouds. The clouds should be seeded within a few hours of their formation.

The foreign agency was reluctant to undertake seeding of warm clouds as poor result would affect its credibility. However, Mr. Naidu argued that no cloud should be left out to save crops in a place like Rayalaseema where every drop is valuable.

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