New Delhi, Monday, August 6, With rain predicted to remain scanty for the rest of the season over Rajasthan, the state is now trying to bring artificial rain. The possibilities are being explored for cloud seeding in Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Chittorgarh districts of Rajasthan, the state where five districts have been declared drought hit. Artificial rain is done by a process called cloud seeding. While experiments on cloud seeding have been going on for many years, but this is the first time it is being tried in a desert state in India.
Cloud seeding is a process of weather modification. It is an attempt to alter the amount or type of rain that falls from clouds. It is done by dispersing salt or other chemical into the air. The process helps cloud to condense enough to start precipitation.
The chemical used in cloud seeding includes Silver Iodide, dry ice or solid carbon dioxide, liquid propane and sodium Chloride. Cloud seeding cannot be done in any of the cloud. For this, we need to identify clouds fit for seeding. The identification of the cloud is usually done by radar. An aircraft is used then to disperse salts using flares or explosives in the lower level of clouds. As water joins the salts to grow its size led to rainfall.
