Experts to induce rain to fight smog

Punjab govt forms committee to finalise artificial rain plan

LAHORE:

The Punjab government is independently planning for the first time to induce artificial rain to curb smog this year. A committee has been formed by the government to finalise the plan.

According to sources, instead of relying on foreign support, local professors, environmental and technical experts will independently carry out an experiment of artificial rain this year.

Unlike last year, the Punjab government aims to try artificial rain in the whole province.

The government is actively planning for the first independent artificial rain in the province by bringing together local technical experts, professors and environmentalists.

In December last year, the caretaker government had carried out an experiment of artificial rain in Lahore, for which the United Arab Emirates had provided technical assistance.

According to then caretaker chief minister Mohsin Naqvi, the UAE had supported the initiative by providing two aircraft along with a team of technical and environmental experts.

The artificial rain proved very helpful to mitigate the worst situation regarding smog in Lahore and nearby cities.

Lahore had remained at the top of the list of most polluted cities in the word during December and the situation had forced the Punjab government to shut down educational institutions and markets in the affected districts.

This year, the provincial government, especially the environment ministry, is making efforts and planning beforehand to prevent smog across Punjab. Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb is supervising a crackdown against brick kilns, substandard vehicle engines and other violations of environmental laws in various districts and industrial areas.

However, according to a senior official of the Punjab Environment Protection Department, a major action to curb smog this year will be the artificial rain.

"The government and the environment protection department are busy in preparations for independently testing artificial rain for the first time," he told The Express Tribune.

A committee had been constituted last month for the planning.

"In the first step, we selected the committee members from the local universities, technical sector and the environment protection department. The members were briefed about their task and duties and advised to be alert for the first independent artificial rain experiment," the official said.

He said the trial would be carried out on a major scale and all big districts facing severe smog levels would receive artificial rain because the arrangements would be made for the whole province.

"We have to finalise things in this regard and are now waiting for our meeting that will be convened soon to discuss the strategy and arrangements," the official added.

The Punjab University Geography Department's former chairman Dr Munawar Sabir had conducted the first trial of artificial rain in the country in Khanspur.

"I am also a member of committee engaged in the first independent artificial rain experiment in Punjab. Four years ago , I did this experiment in the area of Khanspur. Several countries have adopted cloud seeding for artificial rain," he said.

He expressed hope that the process would be successfully carried out, probably in December.

He said PU Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shah also had contributed in the work for the artificial rain last year.