Bengaluru, 29 August

The State government has constituted two separate committees to monitor and ensure the smooth implementation of the technical guidance of the cloud seeding programme. 

The programme has been undertaken to address rainfall deficit and drought-like conditions in the State, with the objective of providing maximum benefit to standing crops in Karnataka through the appropriate use of advanced technology, officials said.

The Monitoring Committee will oversee, monitor and review the overall implementation of the cloud seeding programme and be headed by The Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner of the State government, according to statement from Water Resources Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy. 

The Technical Advisory and Evaluation Committee will provide technical support, guidance and advice to the KSNDMC on various aspects of the cloud seeding programme. The Director of the KSNDMC will be the chairperson of the committee. It will comprise eight members, one Member Secretary and one Special Invitee.

According to officials, the project is estimated to cost around Rs 28.52 crore and will be carried out for 60 days, involving approximately 200 hours of operations. Flights will operate between 8 am and 6 pm every day.

Cloud-seeding operations will be undertaken by the Water Resources Department across the State’s four revenue divisions. Rainfall is expected within a 15km radius of the areas where cloud seeding is carried out.

Cloud seeding is a weather-modification technique used to influence precipitation by dispersing substances into clouds, intending to increase rainfall or snowfall, reduce hail or disperse fog.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said that the State government would submit its drought report to the Centre in the first week of September. The State government has declared 101 taluks as drought-affected. 

“The 2023 drought caused losses of around Rs 39,000 crore in Karnataka,” he said. “We had sought Rs 18,000 crore, but after our protest in Delhi and the Supreme Court’s intervention, only Rs 3,500 crore was released. This should not happen again.”