Iran Deploys Cloud Seeding in Bid to Avert Ecological Catastrophe

2 hours ago7 min read

Facing an ecological disaster as Lake Urmia shrivels into a vast salt plain, Iran has authorized a cloud seeding program in a critical effort to mitigate a devastating, years-long drought. This technological intervention highlights the severity of a water crisis so profound that it has prompted both state-level technological solutions and communal prayers for rain among affected populations.The strategy involves dispersing silver iodide into clouds to stimulate rainfall, marking a strategic shift for a government historically reliant on unsustainable water policies, including excessive dam building and aggressive irrigation for agriculture. Decades of environmental mismanagement, particularly the over-diversion of water from vital sources like the Zarrineh River, have critically depleted Lake Urmia, a former UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.The consequences are dire: receding waters have uncovered massive salt flats, which generate toxic dust storms that ravage agricultural land, pollute the air, and precipitate a public health emergency with rising rates of respiratory illness. Hydro-climatology experts caution that while cloud seeding may boost precipitation by 10-15% under perfect conditions, it remains a scientifically debated and imprecise method.They argue it is a provisional fix that does not address the core issues of an outdated and inefficient irrigation network, responsible for over 90% of national water use, and the cultivation of water-intensive crops in arid zones. Iran's crisis serves as a dire warning for the broader Middle East and North Africa, a region already grappling with extreme water stress that is expected to worsen with climate change. The nation's simultaneous deployment of advanced weather modification and its citizens' spiritual appeals for rain encapsulates a pivotal moment where technology and tradition converge in a desperate race against a man-made desert.

#featured

#Iran

#cloud seeding

#drought

#water crisis

#environmental intervention

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