The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Cloud-seeding from July 22

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Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Cloud-seeding from July 22

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: In view of the dry spell continuing in the State, the date for commencing the cloud-seeding operations in the State to induce artificial rains has been advanced to July 22.

The experiments will be continued by the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences & Weather Modifications (CASWM) of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University till November-end. Two planes and two radars will be used for the operations.

Disclosing this to reporters here on Monday, Major Irrigation Minister P. Lakshmaiah said the CASWM had made all the preparations to go ahead with the operations once the clearances came in from Union Home and Civil Aviation Ministries.

Contingency plan

Going by the forecast issued by India Meteorological Department, the Minister said the government was “hoping against hopes” for good rains before July-end. It had, however, prepared a contingency plan to facilitate sowing of alternative crops in the event of the dry spell continuing, resulting in withering of the already shown crops like paddy.

He regretted that the reservoirs in the State in all the river basins, including that of the Krishna and Godavari, suffered from nil inflows so far.

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Andhra Pradesh