Central Idea

Solapur, a city with limited rainfall due to its location on the leeward side of the Western Ghats, witnessed an 18% relative enhancement in rainfall through a cloud seeding experiment.

What is Cloud Seeding?

	Explanation
Definition	Weather modification technique to enhance precipitation.
Objective	Increase rainfall or snowfall in areas facing water scarcity or drought.
Seeding Agents	Silver iodide, calcium chloride, potassium iodide, sodium chloride, etc.
Suitable Clouds	Typically convective clouds with moisture and vertical motion.
Methods of Dispersion	Aircraft, rockets, ground-based generators, drones.
Environmental Impact	Generally considered safe with minimal environmental impact.
Effectiveness	Variable; depends on weather conditions and cloud characteristics.

The initiative, known as the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX phase-4), sought to investigate the effectiveness of hygroscopic seeding in deep convective clouds.
Over two hours after cloud seeding, an additional 8.67mm of rainfall was recorded, resulting in 867 million litres of augmented water availability.

Growing NCD Burden: As India grapples with a rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), exacerbated by the consumption of pre-packaged foods, informed consumer choices and food safety become paramount.
Cloud Seeding Efficacy: The experiment underscores cloud seeding as an effective strategy for enhancing rainfall, particularly in regions with suitable conditions.
Cost-Benefit Analysis: The research evaluates the cost-effectiveness of cloud seeding, estimating the cost of producing water through cloud seeding at 18 paise per litre.

Randomized Seeding Experiment: The study selected 276 convective clouds, with 150 subjected to seeding and 122 serving as the control group.
Criteria for Seeding: Clouds with characteristics such as significant liquid water content, vertical motion indicative of cloud growth, and depth exceeding one kilometre were targeted.
Seeding Agent: Calcium chloride flares were employed for cloud seeding, ensuring optimal dispersion and entry into growing clouds.
Rainfall Enhancement: Seeded clouds produced more rainfall than unseeded ones, resulting in an 18% relative enhancement.

Water Management: While cloud seeding alone cannot alleviate droughts, it can contribute to an 18% increase in rainfall and partially address water requirements.
Cost Reduction: Utilizing indigenous seeding aircraft could reduce costs by over 50%, making cloud seeding more accessible.
High-Resolution Numerical Model: The study has developed a numerical model to help stakeholders identify target locations, suitable clouds for seeding, and effective strategies for enhancing rainfall.