21-Aug-2017: Cloud-seeding project of Karnataka takes off at Jakkur Airfield
Karnataka has launched the much-touted cloud seeding project- named Varshadhare. Cloud-seeding is a technique employed to increase precipitation in clouds. Experts say precipitation in clouds has been affected recently due to increase in particulate matter in the atmosphere, among other factors.
Cloud-seeding aims at catalyzing the process of precipitation, so that rainfall could be increased by 15-20% in drought-affected areas of the State. Among the problems for successful precipitation in rain-bearing clouds are that water droplets formed in the clouds are much smaller. Droplets formed in the clouds are blown away in the wind even before they have the time to reach earth. Moreover, small droplets do not have the energy to collide and form large droplets that can come down as rain. By introducing impurities such as Silver Iodide, Potassium Chloride and others, the objective is to ensure that the size of the droplets is large enough to fall down as rain.