Cloud-seeding starts in Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental -- The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) started its cloud-seeding operation that is expected to bring on rains and prevent crop damage due to the dry spell in the province.
Neg. Occ. Provincial Agriculturist Igmedio Tabianan said the team from OPA, on-board a private plane flew toward north-central Negros in the morning and toward the southern part of the province in the afternoon yesterday.
Tabianan said though it costs P12,000 per flying hour, they will continue with the operation for at least one month or until the rainy season comes.
He said that they cannot predict where the rain will fall as the cloud seeding depends on the wind speed and direction, the number of flying hours also depends on the presence of "seedable clouds", Tabianan added.
Earlier, Neg. Occ. Gov. Joseph Marañon said the provincial government has allocated P1 million for the cloud-seeding operation, with P300,000 initially released to purchase 600 bags of salt to be used to induce rain.
Tabianan said that although no report of crop damage has been filed before his office as of this time, Gov. Marañon has given the go-signal to start the cloud-seeding operation to protect local crops.
(OPA/PIA)