Telangana CM says ‘cloudburst a foreign conspiracy; is artificial rain possible?

New Delhi: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday said the cloudbursts in some parts of the country could be a conspiracy by other countries. He told this to the media while on a tour to flood-hit Bhadrachalam.

”There may be a conspiracy by other countries behind cloudbursts in some parts of our country, we don’t know how much truth there is to it. It was earlier done in Leh, then Uttarakhand & now reports are from near Godavari (in Andhra Pradesh),” said KCR.

Telangana CM KCR said, “there may be a conspiracy by other countries behind cloudbursts in some parts of our country, we don’t know how much truth there is to it. It was earlier done in Leh, then Uttarakhand & now reports are from near Godavari (in Andhra Pradesh).” pic.twitter.com/dGfHlPYA6T

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Notably, the continuous rain for nearly a week in several areas of Telangana caused a flood. At the temple town of Bhadrachalam, the administration issued a warning when the water level crossed 53 feet. However, it is reported that the current level of water has reached 70 feet.

What is cloudburst?

Cloudburst is a situation when people face very heavy rain over a very short period that could lead to floods. According to the met department, unexpected precipitation exceeding 100mm or 10 cm per hour over a particular geographical region of approximately 20 to 30 square km.

Is artificial cloudburst possible?

In conversation with the media, Telangana CM said cloudburst happened in Leh and Uttarakhand. On artificial rain, experts say it can be possible by using the cloud seeding technique. In the process, planes and helicopters are used to send chemicals like silver iodide, potassium iodide and dry ice to the atmosphere.

Following this, these particles attract the water vapour in the air, leading to rain after the formation of cumulonimbus clouds. It is reported that it takes half an hour to produce rainfall.

”The time taken to generate rain depends on which portion of the cloud the chemicals are being injected into,” said experts.