Bengaluru, Sep 4 (PTI): The Karnataka government on Friday launched a Rs 28.52-crore cloud seeding project to tackle the rain deficit in the state and avert a possible water crisis and drought situation in the coming months.
Water Resources Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy flagged off a special light aircraft equipped for cloud seeding operations at the HAL airport here, formally launching the state government’s ambitious programme.
Flagging off the aircraft with the national and state flags, the minister expressed hope that the initiative would help augment rainfall and ease the water scarcity situation in the state.
Speaking on the occasion, Chaluvarayaswamy said Karnataka had received deficient rainfall this year and could face a severe drought situation in the coming days.
“The exact extent of the possible drought cannot be assessed at this stage. The monsoon season will end by this month. If adequate drinking water is not stored by then, we could face severe scarcity until the end of June next year,” he said.
He said the government had decided to undertake cloud seeding to mitigate the water shortage and safeguard the interests of farmers.
“Cloud seeding operations conducted earlier had a success rate of about 35 per cent. Whether there is a loss or gain, our only objective is that the people should benefit from this initiative. We are not concerned about the financial burden on the government; protecting the interests of the state and its people is our priority,” he said.
The project has received administrative approval at an estimated cost of Rs 28.52 crore, excluding GST.
It 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 cloud seeding contract has been awarded to M/s Kyathi Climate Modification Consultants LLP, exempting it from the provisions of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Act.
The government has constituted two separate committees to scientifically monitor and effectively implement the programme.
A Monitoring Committee headed by the Additional Chief Secretary to the Government and Development Commissioner will oversee and review the overall implementation of the project.
An eight-member Technical Advisory and Evaluation Committee, headed by the KSNDMC Director, will provide technical guidance and update information on cloud seeding operations and their impact every two hours.
Under the cloud seeding process, suitable chemicals are dispersed into moisture-bearing clouds to stimulate precipitation, a release from the minister’s office said.
Depending on the nature of the clouds, chemicals such as silver iodide, potassium iodide, dry ice and sodium chloride may be used. Silver iodide helps facilitate the formation of ice crystals in suitable clouds, while potassium iodide, dry ice and sodium chloride is used to help water droplets in warm clouds coalesce into larger raindrops.
The technical team will continuously monitor atmospheric conditions, including temperature, wind speed and cloud density, using Doppler radar and other weather data.
Rain-bearing cumulonimbus clouds that have the potential to produce precipitation but are not releasing rainfall will be identified. Special aircraft equipped with weather radar and flares will then fly into or beneath such clouds and disperse cloud-seeding material.
The seeded particles are expected to help microscopic water droplets or ice crystals grow larger and eventually fall as precipitation. Rainfall may occur within 30 minutes to an hour after a successful operation, officials said in the release.
No districts have been earmarked in advance for the operations. Based on continuous technical reports, aircraft will be deployed wherever suitable clouds are detected over rain-deficit areas, catchment areas of major reservoirs and districts facing agricultural distress.
Weather data updated every two hours will determine the location of the cloud seeding operations.
