Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has revealed that the state government is mulling over the idea of going for artificial rainfall from August this year. A huge rainfall deficit translates into huge losses for the farmers in the state. Thus fueling clouds and 'generating' rain is coming across as a good idea.
As per Fadnavis, if the state does not receive good amounts of rain in the first week of August, then authorities are willing to go ahead with the experimentation of artificial rainfall. Two firms have already been shortlisted for the purpose. Moreover, another firm has expressed its desire to do the experiment and that too free of charge.
Cloud seeding is a revolutionary concept which aims at stimulating the process of precipitation. But the pre-requisites and other factors are not always conducive for carrying out this weather modification experiment. Simply speaking, artificial rainfall requires complete readiness. But even then, there’s no guarantee that it will work.
Back in the 20th century, US pioneered the technology of cloud seeding and claims to have extended the Monsoon season during the infamous Vietnam War in order to gain strategical advantage. Today, China uses this technology extensively. A few sparks of success have also been noticed in India where cloud seeding can completely revolutionize the agriculture sector.
But despite all this, the unfavorable cost-benefit ratio may deter the growth of this technology. The cost for a large-scale trial is simply too large. Several countries and experts have concluded that much more research is required before cloud seeding is viewed as a reliable alternative. Although the Maharashtra government has expressed its desire to carry out artificial rain experiments in the state this year, the viability of the plan remains debatable.
(Featured Image Credit: oneindia.com)
