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Tanzania braces for artificial rain
2008-01-16 08:56:26
By Christopher Magola
Several countries in the world now look on artificial rain as a solution to prolonged drought. A chemical, ``silver iodide`` or ``dry ice`` is used in seeding clouds to make rain. It can be used as cloud seeding agent in weather modification activities in order to increase rain and snow precipitations and suppression of hailstone.
According to experts injecting moisture-heavy clouds with silver iodide particles may be one of the keys to enhancing rainfall and help goose natural rainfall events via the iodide seeding.
``Timely seeding, with silver iodide, enables convective clouds to live longer, process more moisture and produce significantly more rainfall - up to 50 percent with some types of convection clouds`` says George Bomar, a senior technical specialist in the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission\'s watershed management division.
He also adds: ``There is no evidence that the seeding contributes to less rainfall anywhere else; there is no evidence that seeding causes clouds to grow taller and produce unwanted effects such as hail, damaging winds and flash floods.`` On the contrary, he says, seeding appears to contribute to what he calls ``gentle, wide-spread and longer-lasting rains.``
Artificial rain eased drought in Beijing when twenty silver-iodide Missiles were fired to alleviate the dry spells that have lasted for years.
The rainmaking effort brought moderate rain mainly in four districts of Beijing, namely the Changping, Yanqing, Pinggu and Haidian, all in northern Beijing, with a maximum precipitation of 41 millimetres.
Zhou Xiaoping, a noted expert with the Beijing Special Meteorology Office,said that the artificial rainfall helped plants to grow, increased the level in reservoirs and added water to the barren soil.
The rainmaking efforts also helped bring the temperature below the predicted 32 degrees Celsius which would otherwise have continued for another two days, forcing gardeners to water plants, Zhou said, adding that more artificial rainfall projects can be expected in Beijing in the future.
Apart from Beijing Artificial Rain has also eased drought in east of China where severe drought affected some 1.3 million hectares of crops in Jiangsu Province.
Reports from Vietnam say droughts and environmental degradation may force it to create artificial rain by the end of the decade.
In Saudi Arabia it was announced in 2006 that the country will start an ambitious project to induce artificial rain at the cost of 20 million US dollars.
Noting with concern over the prolonged drought in Tanzania in 2006 a Member of Thai House of Representatives said his country could help the country stave off the problem of prolonged drought and food shortages by applying technology of artificial rain.
Dr. Likhit Dhiravegin with a delegation of his country's Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee on a visit to Tanzania early last year said.
Thailand during drought used the technology to induce artificial rain.
Artificial rain, better known among Thais as 'royal rain' is a process initiated by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1995 to alleviate drought conditions, especially in agricultural areas.
It followed a number of research studies showing that artificial rain does no harm to plants, animals, humans or the environment.
Responding to suggestions by Thailand to help Tanzania in artificial rain Tanzania Meteorological Agency said it has rainmakers.
``The agency has experts who can make artificial rain but they need training and equipment`` says the Director General of the agency Dr. Mohammed Mhita.
According to Dr. Mahita there is a possibility for Tanzania to create artificial rain during the period of drought but the problem is high cost of the technology.
He acknowledged that the technology is used by meteorological agencies in several countries in the world by spraying in atmosphere a chemical called ``silver iodide`` or by fired silver iodide missiles seeding clouds to make rain.
According to Dr. Mhita, South Africa is now using the technology while Botswana is underway to use it.
Asian countries including Indonesia, China and Thailand are already using the technology.
In Tanzania the technology was once used during colonial rule to create artificial rain in tobacco growing areas of Tabora so as to prevent hailstorms which damaged the crop.
There are also reports on experiences at Kongwa on artificial stimulation of rain during January and April, 1951 and experiments on artificial control of rainfall during January and April,1952.
The experiments at Kongwa came at a time when the British government tried to create vast plantations in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) for growing groundnuts (peanuts).
The Tanganyika Groundnuts Scheme covered southern, western and central provinces and it began in Kongwa in 1947.
According to Dr. Mhita during the defunct East African Community Kenya also used artificial rain for tea plantations particularly in Kericho areas to suppress hailstorms.
According to Dr. Mhita his agency was prepared for the technology but it appeared the Government was still reluctant due to high cost of the technology. However he could not give more details on the cost.
But according to Chinese media, Shanghai city decided recently to adopt artificial rain which they used in 1990 and that the initiative in 6,340.5 kmē Shanghai city with a population of more than 17 million may cost US$ 568,000.
Prolonged drought has had negative effects to Tanzania in 2006.
In addition to food shortages prolonged drought also affected the water levels of the major reservoirs for power generation.
This forced Tanzania Electric Supply Company, TANESCO, to make use of high cost thermal generation instead of the normal low cost hydro power generation.
As indicated that a number of research studies worldwide show that artificial rain does no harm to plants, animals, humans or the environment.
Addressing the Second Scientific Conference on Environmental Sustainability in Tanzania in Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region the Minister of State in the Vice President`s Office, Professor Mark Mwandosya cautioned Tanzanians to prepare themselves for possible warmer temperatures and lack of rainfall.
He said climate change in the world could lead to warmer weather and poor rains in parts of Africa including Tanzania.
According to scientists, Tanzania will be warmer by 1.9-2.6 degrees in the next four years and that rainfall will decrease by 10-15 per cent in many parts of the country.
Pundits say this raised the need for Tanzania to prepare for artificial rain which has been used in China to help bring down temperatures.
During a tour of the Far East Asian countries in September last year the Prime Minister Edward Lowassa was impressed by the King`s rain makers.
He visited Thailand at a time when Tanzania was facing acute drought.
The Thai rain makers told him that they were capable of making drizzles in the Usangu valley, which is almost turning into a desert to be filled to the brims to enable stalled hydro electric power production at Mtera dam in Iringa.
Therefore the Prime Minister immediately extended an invitation to the Kasertet Institute rain makers to visit Tanzania in order to introduce the technology of artificial rain making in the country.
In response Thai delegation visited Tanzania in October last year.
The delegation was led by Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Theera Wongsamit, and Warawut Kantiyayan, the Director; Royal Rainmaking Bureau and Agricultural Activities.
During its two week visit the 13-man delegation made an extensive tour of Southern Highlands Regions of Mbeya and Iringa during which they completed all the preliminary preparations.
At the end of the visit, the Thai delegation and the Government of Tanzania signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in rain making technology issues.
Under the MoU the costs would be shared by both governments.
The Tanzanian government will be responsible for handling rainmakers and all the Tanzanian specialists.
It would also provide an airplane that would be used during cloud seeding.
Thailand will provide both the technology and equipment.
It was also agreed that the Thai experts will start demonstrations to create rainfall in Mbeya and Iringa regions by March 2008.
Therefore the Thai "Rainmakers" are due to arrive in Tanzania soon.
According to a government official the demonstration of rainmaking process could not be undertaken during dry season last year but shifted to March only during the wet season so as to induce more rainfall.
Speaking to The Guardian recently, the Director of Transport and Communication in the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Dr Bartholomew Rufunjo assured Tanzanians living in those areas that the water would be safe.
He said the resulting rain water would be suitable for both agricultural use and human consumption.
He said Thais had been using such technology to create rainfall in their country for more than 30 years and nobody had been adversely affected.
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