RAJKOT, Aug 1: The State Government has initiated efforts to create artificial rain in five districts -- Rajkot, Jamnagar, Amreli, Kutch and Banaskatha -- with the monsoon having miserably failed in these regions. The condensation of clouds will continue for the next nine days and the experiment will be carried out at dawn and later in the evenings.The experiment involves releasing a cloud of sodium iodide from an aircraft about six to seven kms above the earth between the natural clouds. This generates heat up to 650 degrees Celsius among the clouds which might result in condensation. This, in turn, would lead to rains.
The project has been started by the State Agriculture department. Agriculture Minister Becharbhai Bhadani and officials of the department consulted a non-governmental institute, Kutchi Visha Oswal Jain Mahajan Sangh, which carries out such projects every year in the Kutch district. The project has been partially successful in the last seven years, as per the statistics of the instutute.
The project incharge for Rajkot Maganbhai Kachorola said that two places had been selected for the project in Rajkot district, including Rajkot and Morbi. The project will be carried out here for the next 9 days, for which Rs 4 lakh has been given to the Rajkot department.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.