Cloud seeding experiment costlier by `8cr
The BMC’s estimated cost of inducing artificial rains in lake catchment areas has increased by `8 crore. The civic body will now spend as much as `20 crore to carry out cloud seeing tests.
Earlier, the civic body had made an approximate estimate of `12 crore to carry out cloud seeding in lake catchment areas. However, failure to bring the aircraft from Israel resulted in the hike in expenditure by another `8 crore. Standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale said, “There are some technical glitches in hiring aircraft from Israel; hence, we decided to bring it from South Africa. This has increased the cost of the entire experiment.”
According to civic officials, the BMC has approached private company My Avani to hire aircraft from South Africa, while Israeli company Mekorot will provide technical support to induce artificial rains. However, the civic body has not yet received permission from the Union home ministry to carry out cloud seeding experiment in the lake catchment areas. A senior civic official said, “We have sent officials from the BMC and Mekorot to Delhi to seek permission from the Centre. The process is likely to be completed in a couple of days.” The experiment to induce artificial rains will be performed in the coming month of September. It will be done on the upper side of two major rivers — Bhatsa and Vaitarana — on which almost all the major dams are located. This time, however, sodium chloride will be used instead of silver iodide — used during the previous experiment in 2009 — to spray the nuclei of clouds.
In 2009, the civic body had implemented both manual as well as aerial methods for cloud seeding.
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