A meteorologist for the Texas Natural Resources Conservation

A meteorologist for the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission and a state senator visited a number of South Texas government agencies and encouraged them to consider cloud seeding programs as a management tool for long term water management. The meteorologist indicated that the cloud seeding studies suggested that the amount of rain from cloud seeding could be increased by 2.5 times. The first mission was flown and within hours, a large area received 1-4 inches of rainfall. The cloud seeding cost ranged from $282,000 to $411,000 for a year. How can one determine the effectiveness of the seeding effort to justify the cost? What are some of the issue that one has to address for this effort?

Solution

With the help of cloud seeding technique, if the long term water management is beneficial and effective efficient and can get rainfall to a vast areas of unirrigated patches of land and thus productivity of farm increases as well as their incomes. So if the costs of cloud seeding varying from $ 2,82,000 to $ 4,11,000 has much to be given for greater good and benefits of cloud seeding outweighs the costs, then it effectiveness cannot be questioned.

Proper rain water harvesting infrastructures, ponds and infrastructure to store the rainwater for long term perspective should be there before going for cloud seeding.