Not considering artificial rainmaking programme: Government

The government is not considering any artificial rainfall/cloud seeding programmes with the help of state governments and commercial firms due to scarcity in rainfall, parliament was told Thursday.

"Artificial rainmaking techniques involving cloud seeding cannot be used for bringing rain clouds to rainfall deficit/drought areas. Such efforts can only induce potential pre-existing clouds, already passing over a given place, to produce rain only if organised weather modification intervention becomes successful," Minister of State for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

He, however, said that Earth System Science Organisation - Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (ESSO-IITM) is putting its effort in understanding the rain formation in clouds through studying cloud microphysical characteristics through a research programme called Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX).