Thailand will deploy 30 rainmaking planes to battle drought

The government plans to deploy 30 aircraft nationwide for cloud-seeding operations to induce artificial rain to battle air pollution and ease dry weather conditions in the main crop-growing areas. The annual royal rainmaking programme began on Thursday, with seven centres set up across the country to coordinate efforts in all 77 provinces for operations in March and April, the government said in a statement. This year’s operations will rely on 24 aircraft from the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation and six jets from the Royal Thai Air Force, it said. Rainmaking is necessary to ease the impact of climate change on agricultural sector and prevent hailstorms and forest fires in some regions of the country, Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow said. The artificial rain will also ease persistent pollution problems such as smog and unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, he said. The operations will also replenish water supply in reservoirs and ...