More cloudseeding eyed to augment extreme rainfall deficit
The government will intensify its ongoing cloudseeding activities by increasing the number of aircrafts plying over Angat dam and some regions in Luzon to offset the effects of an extended dry spell brought by the extreme rainfall deficit in some parts of the country.
Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSMW) director Vince Tejada told media during a press conference at the Plaridel airport in Bulacan that a total of six additional aircrafts will be tapped to try to induce rains and fill up the dams over Region I, II and III.
Tejada said another aircraft will augment the existing cloudseeding over Angat dam.
Two aircrafts from PAF will conduct cloudseeding over Region I and the Cordillera Administrative Region as ordered by Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.
They are eyeing daily cloudseeding activities, depending on the formation of the clouds.
Meanwhile, three aircrafts are set to arrive Tuesday in Region II to help induce rains over the areas most hit by the dry spell, he added.
Cloudseeding is a technology where a chemical is being dispensed in the clouds to induce rain. A special kind of salt --vacuum-dried salt-- is scattered over cumulus of cumulunimbus (cauliflower-like) clouds, the perfect clouds for the activity which are usually located within an altitude of almost 11,000 feet.
"If the clouds are thick and clustered, we can expect bountiful rainfall," Tejada said.
The combined particles increase in size and become heavy, hence, it turns into water droplets and fall down as rain.
Low inflows of water into the dams that propel hydropower plants such as Angat, Magat, Pantabangan, San Roque and Binga, due to rainfall shortage, also affected power and water distribution in some areas in Luzon. Angat supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila domestic water needs while the rest comes from groundwater.
According to the DA, cloudseeding operation in 1997-1999 El Nino episode benefited approximately 1,246,680 hectares of agricultural crops, mostly rice and corn. The decreasing water level of Angat Dam was also minimized.
The government started to conduct cloudseeding July 15 over Angat, San Fernando and Cauayan Isabela.
The government allocates around P1.3 million for 40 hours of operation. A sortie normally takes 45 minutes, he said.
All cloudseeding conducted by the BMWS utilizes aircrafts from the Philippine Airforce while commercial planes such as cessna is being used by public firms.
"This is just one of the precautionary measures taken by the government to reduce the impact of dry spell," said Office of the Civil Defense director Glen Rabonza.
He also clarified that rains are expected to come within two weeks, contrary to earlier reports that the dry spell is expected to last until the end of 2007.
(PNA)