Artificial Rain Technology

As the majority of the Thai people depend on agriculture, Thailand needs a large amount of water for farming activities. Formerly, Thai farmers had to wait for seasonal rain to grow crops. As a result, the crop production usually suffered from drought as there was not enough rainfall during the long dry season. HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej learned about this problem by travelling to even the remotest places of the country. Out of the purpose to help his people, the King devoted himself to studying and researching artificial rainmaking techniques and donated his private funds to launch the Royal Rainmaking Project.

The project has proved successful since the first experiment in 1969. In 1971, the Government established the Artificial Rainmaking Research and Development Project within the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Since demand for artificial rain has increased over the years, the Artificial Rainmaking Research and Development Project has been continuously upgraded and developed.

Artificial rainfall entails attempting to induce or increase precipitation. According to the clouds' different physical properties, this can be done using airplanes or rockets to sow the clouds with catalysts such as dry ice, silver iodide and salt powder to increase precipitation.

Thailand To Help Jordan Make Artificial Rain

Already a victim to climate change, Jordan will witness a 15-60 per cent decrease in precipitation and a 1-4°C increase in temperatures, which will in turn have serious potential impacts on its natural ecosystems, river basins, watersheds and biodiversity.

In 2009, when Jordan received permission from Thailand to use the technique, their citizens consumed 150 cubic meters of water per year; the international acceptable average is 1,000 cubic meters. That amounts to an annual deficit of 500 million cubic meters.

The first experiment will be implemented after Jordan and Thailand sign a memorandum of understanding on March 23 to benefit from the East Asian country's vast experience in rainmaking technology, Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) Director General Mohammad Samawi said. The experiment is scheduled to take place during spring in the Jordan Valley over the catchment area of King Talal Dam.

The JMD is planning to use two groups of seeding agents depending on whether a cloud is cold or warm, including calcium chloride and compressed carbon dioxide as freezing agents and a compound of urea and ammonium nitrate for the absorption of moisture.

"Using artificial rainmaking techniques seeks to raise the amount of precipitation in Jordan, 90 per cent of which receives an average of 20-200 millimetres of rain per year… Increasing precipitation will raise storage at the dams, expand the country's green cover and boost natural pastures," Samawi underscored.

Jordan tried making artificial rain on its own between 1989 and 1995, but the experiment failed as the airplane and equipment used for this purpose stopped functioning, and the project faced several challenges.

source : Jordan times