The Government on Monday launched a US$400 000 countrywide cloud-seeding programme and deployed two aircraft for the operation, one in Bulawayo to service southern parts of the country, and another to operate from Harare to serve the northern parts of the country.
The southern African region is currently reeling from the adverse impact of El Nino, which is characterised by high temperatures and drought.
Meteorological Service Department (MSD) Bulawayo provincial officer, Chiposi Ngulube, told Chronicle that his team would start cloud seeding between 10 and 11 January in parts of the southern region.
Newly-appointed Agricultural Rural Development and Advisory Service (ARDA) Matabeleland North provincial director, Dumisani Nyoni, said:
We are desperate for the rain. The bulk of our crop has just germinated and some is yet to germinate, and we need the rain so that our crops properly grow. We haven’t met our targets in terms of planting.
We still have some crops that can still be planted in this period including cowpeas, sugar beans, and sweet potatoes to improve food security.
We have not received significant rains to generate enough pastures for our livestock going forward.
So, we need the rain, and whatever effort that can lead to increased rainfalls will be appreciated.
Even the rivers are not yet flowing so we still need the rains so that our rivers flow to enable dams to impound water.
We also need water to sink underground because looking at our situation as Matabeleland North province, most of our areas depend on boreholes so there is a need to have a recharge on the boreholes. The recharge can only be obtained through rain.
So, if cloud seeding will produce some positives, this would be welcome. We need the water table to recharge.
Umguza is planting wheat using borehole water so definitely needs a recharge on the underground water system.
Cloud seeding is a technique used to enhance precipitation in clouds by dispersing substances, such as silver iodide or potassium iodide, into the air.
The idea is to introduce more nuclei for water vapour to condense around, thereby increasing the chances of rainfall.
Meanwhile, the MSD has forecasted heavy rains across much of the country from 11 January to 17 January.
In a weather alert issued on Wednesday, 10 January, the MSD warned of heavy rains above 50mm along the main watershed.
It said the heavy rainfall is caused by the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone combined with a cloud band coming from the western parts of the country.
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