AURANGABAD: The wait for artificial showers to bring relief to the drought-hit Marathwada region just grew longer. The state government’s much-hyped cloud-seeding project suffered a major blow on Monday after the flares required for the process were stuck in customs clearance in Mumbai and the authorities struggling to import a doppler radar from Hong Kong.
The state government has decided to carry out cloud seeding in parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha, which have received insufficient rainfall so far this monsoon season. The decision was taken following the India Meteorological Department’s forecast of a deficient rainfall this year.
Cloud seeding is an attempt to induce rain by dispersing substances such as silver iodide or dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) onto clouds to increase precipitation. The chemicals are injected into clouds with the help of an aircraft.
The special aircraft has landed at Aurangabad airport for the cloud-seeding experiment, but the attempt could not be carried out as scheduled on Monday due to non-availability of the flares. Officials, however, said that they were expecting the sodium iodide flares to arrive soon and they would carry out the cloud-seeding attempt even without the radar.
Director of disaster management SuhasDiwse confirmed that the material was yet to reach the city. “Yes, some technical issues are causing delay. But we have now resolved all the issues and the material is on its way to Aurangabad. We hope it will arrive by Monday night.”
Diwse said that the C-Band doppler radar was still in Hong Kong and requires special arrangement to bring the heavy equipment. “We will be able to bring it here within next two to three days,” he told TOI on telephone.
