Bengaluru, Sep 4 — The Karnataka government on Friday launched its cloud seeding programme aimed at addressing the rainfall deficit and preventing a possible water crisis in the state, with Water Resources Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy flagging off a specially-equipped aircraft at HAL Airport in Bengaluru.
The minister waved the national Tricolour and Karnataka flags to formally launch the aircraft deployed for the cloud seeding operation and expressed hope that the initiative would help ease the water shortage in the state.
Speaking at the launch, Cheluvarayaswamy said Karnataka had received less rainfall this year and warned that the state could face a severe drought-like situation in the coming months.
“The monsoon season will end by the end of this month. If adequate water is not stored by then, there could be a severe shortage extending until the end of next June. At present, it is difficult to accurately assess the extent of the drought,” he said.
He said the government had decided to undertake cloud seeding to mitigate the anticipated water shortage and protect the interests of farmers.
“The earlier cloud seeding operation had achieved around 35 per cent success. Whether there is a loss or a gain, our only intention is that the people of Karnataka should benefit from this project. We are not concerned about the financial burden on the government. Protecting the interests of the people is our priority,” he said.
The cloud seeding programme has received administrative approval for an estimated cost of Rs 28.52 crore, excluding GST.
The project is being jointly implemented by the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) under the Water Resources Department and the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) under the Revenue Department.
The contract for carrying out the cloud seeding operations has been awarded to M/s Kyathi Climate Modification Consultants LLP, with exemption from the provisions of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act.
The government has constituted two separate committees to ensure scientific and effective implementation of the programme.
A Monitoring Committee headed by the Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner will oversee the overall implementation and review of the project.
A Technical Advisory and Evaluation Committee, headed by the Director of KSNDMC and comprising eight members, will provide technical guidance and assess the impact of the operations. The committee will receive and update information on cloud seeding operations and their impact every two hours.
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique in which suitable chemicals are introduced into clouds to encourage the formation of rain.
The chemicals used depend on the type and temperature of the clouds. Substances such as silver iodide, potassium iodide, dry ice and sodium chloride may be used in cloud seeding operations.
The technical team will continuously monitor weather conditions, including cloud density, wind speed and other atmospheric parameters using Doppler radar.
Clouds with sufficient moisture and the potential to produce rainfall, particularly cumulonimbus clouds, will be identified. Once suitable clouds are detected, specially equipped aircraft fitted with weather radar and flares will fly into or beneath the clouds and release the required seeding agents.
The particles introduced into the clouds encourage tiny water droplets to combine and grow heavier, increasing the possibility of rainfall.
The government has not identified specific districts in advance for the cloud seeding operations.
Instead, the aircraft will be deployed based on real-time weather data and technical assessments. Areas experiencing rainfall deficits, catchment areas of major reservoirs and districts facing agricultural stress will be prioritised when suitable clouds are detected.
The location of each operation will be determined based on weather information updated every two hours, allowing the technical team to deploy the aircraft wherever conditions are considered favourable for cloud seeding.
Chief Minister’s Political Secretary, G.C. Chandrashekhar, former minister H.K. Patil, MLA Konareddy and Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta were among those present at the launch.