(Department of Agriculture logo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – No seedable cloud will be left unseeded, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday as it bolsters efforts against the harsh effects of El Niño this October.
State weather bureau PAGASA expects El Niño to intensify this month.
“We will seed all seedable clouds, we will waste no opportunity,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said.
Cloud seeding modifies the weather by introducing silver iodide or calcium chloride to the atmosphere to induce condensation and, eventually, rain.
The Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), an agency of the Agriculture Department, started conducting cloud seeding operations in strategic locations nationwide last year.
Its director, Silvino Tejada, said the department has set up water management and conservation measures through the bureau to make sure that scare irrigation water will be used efficiently.
The department has emphasized, however, that cloud seeding is only one of the many interventions used to combat the El Niño.
“Though this technology is beneficial to many agricultural lands, this may not be required or suitable in some areas,” the department said. (MNS)