China - Government Seeds Cloud to Break Drought
China Uses Unorthodox Methods to Bring Rain
Feb 16, 2009
The Chinese government has been practicing some unorthodox rain-making methods, that of cloud-seeding, in a bid to end a crippling drought in the north and central regions of the country - the worst for many decades.
According to state media reports, light rainfall was recorded in some areas after the cloud-seeding was carried out though this was dismissed as "just moistening the surface of the earth."
Xinhua reported that around 5 millimeters of rain fell across the northern Hebei province and other regions.
"The rainfall has eased the drought situation in Shanxi, especially in the hardest-hit southern part," Du Shunyi, director of the provincial weather bureau, said to China Daily on Feb 8.
An estimated 4.42 million people do not have access to drinking water due to the lack of rainfall which has also put 2.22 million head of livestock at risk said the central government.
Premier Wen Makes Chinese Drought Relief a Top Priority
During a visit to Henan over the weekend, China's premier Wen Jiabao called on officials to give "top priority" to drought relief adding that the drought had occurred "during this critical period of the global financial crisis," reported China Daily. Wen expressed concern that the drought would put more pressure on people at a time when jobs are being shed due to the global economic downturn.
Local media quoted Wen as saying to local farmers and village leaders: “This is an extremely big drought. It is a test of our party committees, government and leaders at all levels.” Beijing has already promised farmers struggling with the drought 86.7bn yuan ($12.6bn) in financial aid.
The country's national weather bureau has said the drought is expected to continue in the north with no heavy falls of rain predicted. Rainfall in both northern and central China is fifty percent to eighty percent below normal, according to a statement released by the Flood Control and Drought Relief Office.
Water Saving Measures in China
Ke Bingsheng, president of China Agricultural University told reporters last week, “This means we can no longer rely on the weather,” adding that water-saving measures must be implemented in drought-stricken regions immediately.
“To deal with climate abnormalities, a growing water shortage, and the threat to food security, we must speed the use of farming and irrigation methods that save water,” he said. Water Resources Minister Chen Lei announced on Feb. 14 that his government would introduce a scheme to reduce water consumption by sixty percent by 2020.
A national weather bureau statement last week gives a gloomy prediction for drought stricken areas of China saying, “The drought situation will not be eased in the near future.”
