Bengaluru: Karnataka Ministers N. Chaluvaraya Swamy and H. K. Patil flagged off a special aircraft at HAL Airport in Bengaluru, marking the launch of the state government’s cloud-seeding programme aimed at tackling rainfall shortages and drought-like conditions across the state.
What the programme aims to do
The initiative is designed to boost rainfall in regions facing deficient precipitation and to support water availability in catchment areas that feed major reservoirs.
How the process works
The operation will rely on Doppler radar and real-time weather data to pinpoint suitable clouds and target zones for seeding. Depending on conditions, two different agents will be used: calcium chloride will be dispersed into warm clouds to trigger rainfall, while silver iodide will be deployed in clouds at sub-zero temperatures to promote precipitation. Each aircraft sortie is expected to run for roughly four hours.