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Artificial Rain
Context:
Artificial rain is one of the expert recommendations that the Delhi government will consider while developing this year’s Winter Action Plan.
More on news:
- The Winter Action Plan is designed to address the severe air pollution typically experienced in the Capital during the winter season.
- It will concentrate on 14 specific strategies and seek active participation from Delhi residents.
- The goal is to achieve zero days of poor, very poor, or severe Air Quality Index (AQI) levels during the winter season.
- Other suggestions are behavioural changes, promotion of work-from-home, and adjustments to office hours, utilising CSR funds for heating facilities in residential welfare associations (RWAs) and encouraging the use of electric vehicles.
What is Artificial Rain?
- Artificial rain, also known as cloud seeding, is a weather modification technique used to enhance precipitation by dispersing substances into the air to encourage the formation of rain or snow.
- This process involves seeding clouds with materials such as silver iodide, potassium iodide, or dry ice, which serve as nuclei for water droplets to form around.
- As these particles attract moisture, they can lead to the growth of larger droplets and potentially stimulate precipitation within clouds that might not otherwise produce rain or snow.
How Does Artificial Rain Work?
- The introduction of these substances into clouds promotes the formation of raindrops or snowflakes. Silver iodide, in particular, has a crystalline structure similar to ice, allowing water vapour inside clouds to condense around the particles.
- This process is often carried out from aircraft or drones, or the particles can be shot up from the ground.
Examples of Artificial Rain
- The United Arab Emirates government has employed cloud seeding a few times to tackle water scarcity challenges within the country.
- China used artificial rain during the 2008 Olympics to prevent rain over Beijing’s Olympic stadium.
- A study in Maharashtra’s Solapur region revealed an 18% increase in rainfall compared to usual patterns due to cloud seeding trials.