Cloud seeding operations begin in Karnataka

The much-awaited cloud seeding operations began in Karnataka on Saturday evening to induce rains in drought-hit districts of Dharwad, Haveri and Gadag.

The cloud seeding aircraft, which took off from Hubli airport on Saturday evening, managed to treat rain-bearing clouds hanging over Gadag district for about 30 minutes.

Soon after the cloud seeding aircraft took off from Hubli airport around 5.45 pm, the radar on the Agni Aviation aircraft pointed towards clouds over Gadag district. Minutes after the clouds were treated, the drizzle in parts of Gadag district turned into a downpour, bringing smiles of the faces of the farmers, who had been yearning for rains to save their crops.

The cloud seeding operation taken up by K H Patil Agricultural Science Centre is expected to continue till Monday and cover cloud systems over Dharwad district on Sunday evening and Haveri on Monday.

The cloud seeding operation, which is the first-ever private initiative, is expected to treat rain-bearing clouds hanging over the drought-hit areas of the three districts at a cost of around Rs 8 million and induce rainfall.

Congress leader H K Patil, who runs the K H Patil Agricultural Science Centre, said the Centre had undertaking a thorough study of the cloud system in the past few days and hoped the exercise will benefit the farmers of the region.

However, the cloud seeding operation ran into a major glitch before the start on Saturday after the district administration refused to give permission for the exercise. Though the aircraft from Agni Aviation had arrived on Friday itself, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) refused to allow the aircraft to take off from Hubli airport till the district administration gave the green signal.
H K Patil had to hold talks with Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad district Darpan Jain before the Government granted permission for the exercise with a rider that no damage should be caused to the environment.