MH-CLOUD SEEDING

No info yet on result of cloud-seeding in Marathwada: Official
    Aurangabad, Oct 17 (PTI) Although cloud seeding
project has been in operation in the Marathwada region of
Maharashtra for nearly two months, the administration is yet
to have any data on the rainfall occurred due to it, a senior
official said on Thursday.
    The official also said that despite the withdrawal of
the southwest monsoon from the country, the state government
has not yet issued directions to stop the cloud seeding
project.
    "In order to tackle the problem of rainfall shortage,
cloud seeding project was undertaken in Marathwada by the
state government. A radar was installed in Aurangabad to fix
the operational area for cloud seeding in the region,"
Divisional Deputy Commissioner Parag Soman told PTI.
    Cloud seeding is a type of weather modification in
which chemicals like silver iodide, potassium iodide, dry ice
(solid carbon dioxide) or liquid propane are dispersed in the
air to act as cloud condensation to alter its microphysical
processes.
    "This project has been going on for the last 50 days.
Cloud seeding has been done over Aurangabad, Beed, Latur,
Jalna, Parbhani, Hingoli and Buldhana districts," he said.
    "But we don't have any data yet on where and how much
of rainfall occurred due to cloud seeding in the operational
area. The data of rainfall is sent by the operating team
directly to the state government...We can't tell how much
rainfall occurred in a specific area due to cloud seeding," he
added.
    "Besides, our office has not yet received any
guidelines so far to stop this project, though the monsoon has
withdrawn. This project may continue till we see clouds in the
sky," Soman said.
    The official added that his office also does not have
any details regarding the cost of the project.
    Meanwhile, as per the data released by the revenue
department, Marathwada region received 588.18 mm rainfall in
this monsoon season, which is 75 per cent of its average
rainfall. Beed, Latur and Osmanabad are the worst-affected
districts. PTI AW
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)