Cloud-seeding operations begin today in LOS

[Spitfire]

Cloud-seeding begins today
Published: 1/03/2011 at 12:17 PM
Online news: Local News

Thirty aircraft are in place for this year's artificial rainmaking operations, with several areas already suffering water shortages as the dry season begins to bite, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut said on Tuesday.

Mr Theera said the ministry has prepared 21 aircraft for the task and the Royal Thai Air Force had deployed nine aircraft to help with the cloud-seeding operations, which begin today and continue until the end of the rainy season in October.

There are five artificial rain-making centres in the country's five regions -- North, Northeast, Central, East and South.

Song Klinprathum, director of the artificial rainmaking centre for the North, said two of the ministry's cloud-seeding aircraft would operate in provinces affected by drought - including Phayao, Lampang and Mae Hong Son - where farmers need a great deal of water.

Plenty of water is also needed in April for the lower northern provinces, such as Nakhon Sawan and Phetchabun, which have more than 1 million rai growing maize, Mr Song said.

He also said the cloud-seeding operations are also aimed at producing rain to clear smoke haze from forest fires between March and April, and to fill up the country's major dams from May onwards.

Source - The Bangkok Post

Comment - 30+ planes, more than I thought to be honest. Looks like there seems to be problems with this nationwide and implies that the Thais are simply outstretching their supply and it requires drastic action every year. Only problem with cloud-seeding is that you need some clouds in the first place to seed, which can be thin on the ground here.

[lomuamart]

A number of my neighbours are cloud seeders and they've been busy away from HH for some time now. They're quite often in Ratchaburi, Petchaburi and up north from what I can make out.
Doubt they'll be getting any respite for a while.