What is artificial rain and how beneficial can it be against smog?

After the deteriorating smog situation, the overall air quality index of Lahore has exceeded 300 and according to the Meteorological Department, the chances of natural rain till mid-December are very low. It has been decided to rain artificially. A committee of experts has also been formed by the government for artificial rain on November 28 and 29.

Member of the technical committee and director of the Punjab University Institute of Geography, Dr. Manoor Saber said that artificial rain was sprinkled with salt on the already existing clouds. 4 crore rupees will be spent to make it rain once Dr. Manoor Saber further said that artificial rain will not affect the climate system, as smog is present in the city every year, which is why man-made rain is needed every year. Dr Manoor Saber had proposed the concept of artificial rainfall three years ago and it was also tested in Khanpur. How does artificial rainfall?

Also interesting is the process of artificial precipitation, in which clouds are first chemically enriched, artificial precipitation occurs through the cloud seeding technique, sodium chloride is above the clouds from the height of two to four thousand feet by special aircraft. silver iodide and other chemicals are sprayed, and these chemicals cause ice crystals to form in clouds and clouds become heavy and rain falls. Cloud seeding or artificial rain, in addition to spraying chemicals on clouds by aeroplanes, can also be done by firing rockets from the ground, this method is mostly used in China, i.e. by preparing rockets of desired chemicals.

They are fired at the clouds and in this way, artificial rain is produced. Not every cloud is suitable for artificial rain, nor can it rain in every season, it requires a special environment, according to environmental experts, artificial rain can be experienced in three out of ten types of clouds, such as clouds. Can be used for artificial precipitation with layers 7 to 10 thousand feet thick. For artificial rain, it is also important that humidity in the air is 70 to 75 percent and the wind speed is 30 to 50 km per hour, in the presence of all these factors, the experiment of artificial rain can be completely successful.

In 1946, two American scientists, Vincent Schaefer and Bernard Vonnego, succeeded in producing artificial rain for the first time. They used dry ice for successful cloud seeding. Today, cloud seeding programs are running in more than 50 countries of the world, countries like the USA, China, Mali, Thailand, United Arab Emirates are also using it to combat drought. Disadvantages While artificial rain can prove to be beneficial, it also has its disadvantages, firstly, clouds can be made to rain but they will stop of their own accord, secondly, it increases unnatural pressure on the environment.

Extreme heat and humidity can increase, and since this rainwater contains chemicals, this water can also be harmful to human health. Many chemicals are used in artificial rainmaking, including carbon dioxide, calcium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium hydroxide, aluminium oxide, and zinc, but the most lethal is silver iodide, in Tanzania. Dr. Victoria Ngumo, who researches water and human issues, says that many diseases are caused by artificial rain, including deadly diseases like AIDS, malaria, and cancer. According to University of California research, water-insoluble silver iodide is a toxic substance that pollutes water. Research has shown that this chemical is toxic to humans, fish and other organisms. Chemicals enter the body through skin, breath and mouth. Even small amounts can cause digestive disorders, and kidney and lung damage. Is artificial rain possible in Pakistan?

According to the Regional Director of the Meteorological Department, Shahid Abbas, making artificial rain is not a difficult process, but there are many conditions for the success of this experiment, without which it is impossible to make artificial rain, he said that for effective cloud seeding, at least 40% Clouds should be present and air humidity should be at least 70% Apart from this, the wind speed is also very important and unless these conditions are met, the artificial rain experiment cannot be successful.

The Regional Director of the Meteorological Department said that even if the artificial rain experiment is successful, it cannot be considered a permanent solution to eliminate pollution because after the rain, the pollution will be less, but there is no guarantee that it will be reduced. There will be no re-increase. The use of artificial rain around the world Today, cloud seeding programs are running in more than 50 countries of the world, countries like the USA, China, Mali, Thailand, United Arab Emirates are also using it to combat drought.

It was used during the Beijing Olympics in 2011 to ensure that rain did not spoil the fun of the opening and closing ceremonies, with the help of cloud seeding techniques that rained ahead of time. It has also started to be used in private events, nowadays some event companies even arrange for pre-wedding showers so that the wedding day doesn’t get drenched.

Experiences in Pakistan The method of artificial rain is not being used for the first time in Pakistan, but let us tell you that during the time of former President General Pervez Musharraf, some experiments were conducted in 2000 to reduce drought and heat in some areas of Thar and these experiments were partially successful. Although successful, few people know that artificial rainfall was also experimented with in Karachi in 1977.