The Hindu Business Line : AP: Cloud-seeding to be tendered

FOLLOWING the advice of international experts on continuation of cloud-seeding programme, the State Government will soon issue a notification seeking international and national bids to take up the programme from June 10 this year.

A programme has been finalised after conducting extensive discussions with experts such as Prof. Shivaji Rao, an environmental activist, Dr Goswami from the Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation (Bangalore), and Dr Bhat from the Centre for Atmospheric and Ocean Science (IISc, Bangalore).

This year's cloud-seeding programme would cover rain-deficit districts such as Anantapur, Chittoor, Kurnool, Mahboobnagar, Rangareddy, Nalgonda and Medak, a Government release said here.

Three aircraft, linked to two radar stations at Anantapur and Hyderabad, would be deployed. Soon after coming to power in May last year, the Congress Government kicked off cloud seeding activity.

The upcoming programme would have a low-flying aircraft for cloud seeding of warm clouds, a common feature in the Indian skies.

It was also decided to collect data on cloud physics and related areas in order to make in-depth studies.

Unlike in the past, the Government had decided to rope in institutes such as Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University to ensure effective monitoring, evaluation and awareness building among the farming community.

The Government would talk to the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Petroleum to make smaller airports or airfields such as Puttaparthi and Warangal operational for the aircraft used for cloud seeding, the release from Rain Shadow Areas Development Department said.

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