by Aditya H Iyer, Krushna Chandra Gouda, Aruna S T

Freshwater is a vital commodity that humans and communi­ties require constant access to for basic activities related to agriculture, survival, and bodily upkeep. While rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers serve as long-term water sources, a significant fraction of the current population resides in re­gions that do not receive a reliable, steady supply of water. In these regions, rainfall is crucial for residents to survive, but it is often seasonal or irregular. Furthermore, accord­ing to UNESCO reports, billions of people worldwide lack access to safe and sanitised water, while natural and man­made disasters such as droughts and floods, resulting from improper land and resource use, exacerbate this issue. To mitigate these and several other problems, cloud seeding is a promising technique that induces precipitation when rain is needed or suspends it during periods of high-intensity rain­fall to reduce flood risk. It is crucial for addressing the afore­mentioned issues, as it can control the flow of rainwater in both quantity and region. This article explores the funda­mentals of cloud seeding, including the scientific principles behind the process, the chemical aspects of seeding materials and processes, the practical methods used to carry them out, and developments in cloud seeding technology since its con­ception in the 1940s, through a thorough review of scientific literature and patents.

Source: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/031/03/0411-0434