LAHORE: The artificial rain in Lahore date has been revealed, according to SAMAA, the Punjab Environmental Department and Metrological Department are planning to induce artificial rain in smog-affected Lahore between November 11 and November 12.
Smog is a persistent issue in Punjab, especially in its capital, Lahore, and it continues to worsen each year. This year, Lahore’s AQI (Air Quality Index) exceeded 1, 000 reaching hazardous levels. Moreover, there has been no rain in Lahore for the past two weeks. This year, the provincial government is once again considering inducing artificial rain in Punjab’s capital to combat smog.
Last year, artificial rain was induced in Lahore through a collaboration between the caretaker Punjab government, led by then-Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the Punjab Environment Protection Department, the Environment Monitoring and Management Cell (EMMC), and the Indigenous capabilities for artificial rain developed in coordination with research institutions working with the ministry of defence.
What are the prerequisites for artificial rain?
There are certain weather requirements for artificial rain and cloud seeding. The prerequisites include clouds with 4 to 5 octas (cloud coverage), and the ideal cloud type is medium clouds. The temperature should range between -5°C to -6°C, which is conducive to the seeding process.
The relative humidity should be between 40 per cent and 50 per cent to support the condensation of moisture and the formation of precipitation. These factors are essential for cloud seeding to be effective. So, the artificial rain will only be induced in Lahore only if the weather conditions are favourable.
What is cloud seeding?
In simpler terms, cloud seeding involves spraying certain substances into clouds to make them produce rain. The places where the substances are sprayed are called “seeding areas” or “seeding zones.” These areas are targeted because the substances help tiny water droplets in the clouds come together and become heavy enough to fall as rain. It’s like adding something to a cloud to help it “rain” more easily.
