Attempt cloud seeding this year too: corporators

The cloud seeding experiments might not have brought the desired results last year,but the corporators of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation have demanded a repeat this year to induce artificial rain in the catchment areas of lakes supplying water to the city.

The cloud seeding experiments might not have brought the desired results last year,but the corporators of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation have demanded a repeat this year to induce artificial rain in the catchment areas of lakes supplying water to the city.

A day after the civic administration announced that the water cut will continue at least until August 15,the corporators said on Friday that the cloud seeding activity should be carried out this year too in view of the irregular rainfall. We should do cloud seeding during this time as the clouds are at a lower level and it will have a better effect than last year. It was in September that the experiments were initiated last year, standing committee member Yogesh Sagar said.

As the cloud seeding activities did not have the desired effect last year,we will send the last years report to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and take their opinion. We will decide whether to carry out the experiments this year too on basis of their opinion, additional municipal commissioner Anil Diggikar said.

The civic body had awarded the Rs 8-crore contract for cloud seeding experiments last year to Bangalore-based Agni Aviation last year. The experiments involved sprinkling of sodium iodide on clouds over Tansa and Modak Sagar lakes to induce precipitation and subsequently artificial rains. It had also conducted ground-level cloud seeding experiments,for which the Rs 40-lakh contract was given to Shantilal Meckoni Enterprises.

The experiments had not been successful and the BMC had earlier decided not to undertake such experiments this year.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram