The Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation of Thailand has started an urgent campaign to make artificial rain in the face of widespread drought in many areas although it’s now the rainy season in this country.

Local media reported that the department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has mobilised all 22 planes of 11 rainmaking units and borrowed two aircraft of the air force for the campaign, which aims to raise water levels in the reservoirs where less than 30% of their capacity is filled.

On 22 July, the rainmaking unit in Phitsanulok province, which borders Laos, tried to bring about rainfall in nearby Phichit and Phetchabun. It flew two planes in the morning, each of which sprays 700kg of rainmaking chemicals in each province and then returned in the afternoon to attack the seeded clouds to try to cause rain.

The Office of National Water Resources had a meeting the same day with other government agencies to discuss measures to cope with risks of widespread drought.

While the royal rainmaking department was ordered to speed up rainmaking efforts and farmers were recommended to suspend cultivation, the Meteorological Bureau forecast rain in 40% of the drought-hit area as a result of the impact of the southwest monsoon from the Andaman Sea and a low-pressure area in Viet Nam.

(Source: VNA)