In an attempt to combat severe smog levels in Lahore, the Punjab government is considering the use of “artificial rain” later this month as a measure to ease the smog situation in the provincial capital, it emerged on Friday.
Artificial rain, also known as cloud seeding, is a weather modification technique that aims to increase precipitation from clouds by dispersing substances, typically silver or potassium iodide, into the air to provide a surface for water vapour to condense onto. The increased condensation leads to the formation of larger water droplets that eventually fall as rain.
Punjab’s interim Environment Minister, Bilal Iqbal, chaired a meeting to explore an innovative approach to addressing the persistent smog issue. The discussion took place in the wake of Lahore reclaiming the top spot in the global pollution ranking on Thursday, with residents enduring unhealthy air quality levels throughout the entire day.
The minister instructed the formation of a working group to supervise the initiative for artificial rain by Nov 28 or 29.
