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Power Ministry to set up artificial rain department
A separate department specialising in producing artificial rain is to be set up at the Ministry of Power and Energy, Deputy Minister Ajith Perera said.
He said the purpose of setting up this unit was to maintain the water level in hydropower reservoirs and to provide relief to the agriculture sector during droughts.
The deputy minister said officials from the Sri Lanka Air Force, the Meteorological Department, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the Water Management Authority and the Irrigation Department would be sent to Thailand for training next month at that country’s Royal Rain Making Agricultural Aviation Department which had come forward to offer assistance.
Director and CEB spokesman Sulakshana Jayawardena said the past two years had been the worst for the country, with many catchment areas not receiving adequate rain to generate the anticipated amount off hydro power. Most of the hydropower reservoirs are only filled upto little more than fifty per cent of their capacities.
“The reason to explore the possibility of making artificial rain is largely because the annual average rainfall of 2000 mm was insufficient for hydro power generation. We need more rain,” he said.
When the hydropower generation drops, the CEB is compelled to go for the costly thermal power generation and buy more thermal power from private companies. “Since this is expensive, the ministry has sought the assistance of Thailand with regard to the rain making process,” he said.
Mr. Jayawardene said diesel and heavy fuel used by Thermal power plants cost around Rs. 25 per unit whereas hydropower costs Rs. 2 per unit.
Thai experts who arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday said it was possible to generate artificial rain in Sri Lanka, provided certain standard environmental conditions were found.
CEB Chief Engineer Kapila Jayasinghe told the Sunday Times that the process required 60 percent humidity in the air in the sky with the wind speed being less than 20 knots. If these conditions were found, Sodium Chloride and urea would be sprinkled on the clouds to turn them into rain clouds.
When asked about any long term side effects, Mr. Jayasinghe answered in the negative. He pointed out that Sri Lanka had first tried out an artificial rain making process in the 1980s and it was a success.
“The initial stages of the feasibility studies have ended and the next step is to initiate the project on the National level and appoint a committee to carry out the plan,” he said.
| Close to 300,000 affected by lack of potable water in drought-hit areas Drinking water shortage has hit close to 300,000 people of five drought-stricken districts in the country, with Puttalam the worst affected, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) said. According to DMC statistics as of Thursday (February 22), 92,008 families comprising 295,468 people have been affected by potable water shortage. Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Mannar and Vavunia districts have also been hit by the drought and residents are struggling to find water for everyday needs. Water in some of the areas are currently being sold between Rs 2 to Rs 2.50 a liter. Meanwhile DMC Deputy Director and Media Spokesman Pradeep Kodippili said they were installing water tanks in these areas as well as distributing water by bowsers. “In any case people can contact us by calling our 24-hour hotline 117,” he said. An Irrigation Department official said that the water levels in the tanks in the affected areas were very low, adding that some areas hadn’t received rain since last year. | |