ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A new Iraqi government initiative plans to induce rain using cloud seeding technology amid increased drought and climate threats, a senior official involved with the effort told Rudaw on Wednesday.
The Iraqi government’s plans to create artificial rainfall - the first of its kind in the country - would be used across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region under a newly-formed government-run center, pending approval by the Council of Ministers.
The proposed Center for Artificial Precipitation and Water Stability is planning to produce artificial rainfall using technologies known as cloud seeding, including drones, balloons and ion-based cloud charging, Ahmad Karim Nasir, head of the meteorology department at Iraq’s Agriculture Ministry, told Rudaw.
The proposed center is part of a wider Iraqi government initiative to address the country’s critical water shortages. The International Organization for Migration ranked Iraq the world’s fifth-most vulnerable country to climate shocks in 2022, citing rising temperatures, declining precipitation and worsening droughts.
Nasir said Iraq intends to use drones and balloons emitting electrical charges to polarize dust and draw out moisture from clouds, causing small droplets to clump together and become rain. The technique has had varying degrees of success internationally, with the United Arab Emirates leading ambitious cloud seeding efforts to mitigate drought.
Nasir said the initiative envisions Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, will be divided into four climatic zones, with drones and balloons used in plains and low-lying areas. Ions, which charge clouds to create rainfall, are being considered for mountainous regions, he said. Decisions on geographic priorities will be made by the center once it becomes operational, Nasir added.
According to Nasir, the committee charged with creating the proposed center is evaluating several companies with Middle East cloud seeding experience in anticipation of the center’s launch. The committee’s proposal, reviewed by Rudaw, includes provisions for up to five years of training for Iraqi staff by the companies.
The committee is a government and academic effort that includes representatives from the ministries of agriculture, industry, water resources, environment, and higher education and scientific research, as well as Iraq’s meteorology department, Baghdad University, Mustansiriyah University, and the prime minister’s advisory committee. The center would operate as an independent body affiliated with the Council of Ministers.
The initiative comes amid growing concern over Iraq’s water security. In December, the Kurdistan Region and parts of Iraq experienced three consecutive days of heavy rainfall that triggered flash floods, causing casualties, injuring civilians, and damaging thousands of homes across the Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk province.
Water reserves in the Kurdistan Region’s dams have risen by around 500 million cubic meters since early December following the storms, Rahman Khani, head of the Kurdistan Region’s Dams Department, told Rudaw.
Still, officials warn that the overall water crisis remains severe. Prolonged drought in parts of Sulaimani and Duhok provinces has forced some residents to abandon villages.
Iraq depends heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but large-scale dam projects in Turkey - including the Southeastern Anatolia Project (known as GAP in Turkish) - have reduced downstream flows to less than 40 percent of historic levels. Declining rainfall, rising temperatures, upstream water controls, and decades of mismanagement have further compounded the crisis.
Hastyar Qadir contributed to this report from Erbil.
The Iraqi government’s plans to create artificial rainfall - the first of its kind in the country - would be used across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region under a newly-formed government-run center, pending approval by the Council of Ministers.
The proposed Center for Artificial Precipitation and Water Stability is planning to produce artificial rainfall using technologies known as cloud seeding, including drones, balloons and ion-based cloud charging, Ahmad Karim Nasir, head of the meteorology department at Iraq’s Agriculture Ministry, told Rudaw.
The proposed center is part of a wider Iraqi government initiative to address the country’s critical water shortages. The International Organization for Migration ranked Iraq the world’s fifth-most vulnerable country to climate shocks in 2022, citing rising temperatures, declining precipitation and worsening droughts.
Nasir said Iraq intends to use drones and balloons emitting electrical charges to polarize dust and draw out moisture from clouds, causing small droplets to clump together and become rain. The technique has had varying degrees of success internationally, with the United Arab Emirates leading ambitious cloud seeding efforts to mitigate drought.
Nasir said the initiative envisions Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, will be divided into four climatic zones, with drones and balloons used in plains and low-lying areas. Ions, which charge clouds to create rainfall, are being considered for mountainous regions, he said. Decisions on geographic priorities will be made by the center once it becomes operational, Nasir added.
According to Nasir, the committee charged with creating the proposed center is evaluating several companies with Middle East cloud seeding experience in anticipation of the center’s launch. The committee’s proposal, reviewed by Rudaw, includes provisions for up to five years of training for Iraqi staff by the companies.
The committee is a government and academic effort that includes representatives from the ministries of agriculture, industry, water resources, environment, and higher education and scientific research, as well as Iraq’s meteorology department, Baghdad University, Mustansiriyah University, and the prime minister’s advisory committee. The center would operate as an independent body affiliated with the Council of Ministers.
The initiative comes amid growing concern over Iraq’s water security. In December, the Kurdistan Region and parts of Iraq experienced three consecutive days of heavy rainfall that triggered flash floods, causing casualties, injuring civilians, and damaging thousands of homes across the Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk province.
Water reserves in the Kurdistan Region’s dams have risen by around 500 million cubic meters since early December following the storms, Rahman Khani, head of the Kurdistan Region’s Dams Department, told Rudaw.
Still, officials warn that the overall water crisis remains severe. Prolonged drought in parts of Sulaimani and Duhok provinces has forced some residents to abandon villages.
Iraq depends heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but large-scale dam projects in Turkey - including the Southeastern Anatolia Project (known as GAP in Turkish) - have reduced downstream flows to less than 40 percent of historic levels. Declining rainfall, rising temperatures, upstream water controls, and decades of mismanagement have further compounded the crisis.
Hastyar Qadir contributed to this report from Erbil.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment