Punjab’s academia has come together and decided to use artificial rain as there seems to be no immediate let-up in the intensity of smog in Lahore in the absence of natural rainfall.
In this regard, the Centre for Integrated Mountain Research (CIMR) of Punjab University is set to perform artificial rain over Khanaspur mountains in Galiyat division in an area of 1 square kilometer as a trial within a week.
In case the experiment produces intended results, CIMR would conduct artificial rain in the provincial capital on or three days after 19 November if natural rainfall doesn’t occur by then.
Speaking in this regard, Director CIMR Dr. Munawar Sabir said that they have been experimenting with artificial rain for the past several months and have made all the necessary arrangements to conduct the experiment.
Dr. Sabir added that more than 50 countries across the world have employed this technique to curb smog, lamenting that successive provincial governments did little to tackle this issue.
Khanaspur has been selected as the test site because it is a mountainous area with frequent cloudy days and high humidity levels.
He said that CIMR is in constant contact with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Galiyat region and will perform the experiment on any day in the next seven days when there are up to 40% chances of cloudy weather and 70% humidity.
If CMIR manages to generate artificial rainfall for five to six hours in Lahore, then smog would be countered as the small particles that made up the smog will be washed away.
Like in previous years, the citizens of Lahore are in agony this year as the provincial capital has been engulfed in smog since the onset of winter.
Lahore has been occupying the top spot in terms of the worst air quality in the world for a couple of weeks now. The daily ranking is compiled by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, which shows that the air quality of Lahore is not suitable to breathe in.
