Punjab University has decided to use artificial rain due to the increased intensity of smog in Lahore in the absence of natural rainfall.
For this purpose, the Centre for Integrated Mountain Research (CIMR) of Punjab University will bring about artificial rain over Khanaspur Mountains in Galiyat division in a region of 1 square kilometer as an experiment within a week.
In case of fruitful results of the test, CIMR has planned to conduct artificial rain in Lahore on for three days after 19 November if natural rainfall doesn’t occur by then.
Briefing the media, Director CIMR Dr. Munawar Sabir spoke that they have been testing with artificial rain for the previous several months and have carried out all the needed arrangements to conduct the experiment.
Read more: Lahore ranks second among top five most polluted cities in world
Dr. Munawar added that more than 50 countries all over the world have used this technique to control smog, mourning that successive provincial governments failed to take proper measures to tackle this issue.
Moreover, the reason for choosing Khanaspur as the test site is that it is a mountainous area with recurrent cloudy days and great humidity levels.
He informed that CIMR is in continuous contact with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Galiyat region and will accomplish the experiment on any day in the next seven days when the conditions are favorable i.e. up to 40 percent chances of cloudy weather and 70 percent humidity.
If artificial rain is successfully generated by CMIR for five to six hours in Lahore, then smog would be restricted to the small units that made up the smog will be carried away.
As in past years, the residents of Lahore are in agony this year as the provincial capital has been overwhelmed by smog since the start of winter.
Lahore is in the stage of occupying the top spot in terms of the poorest air quality in the world for a couple of weeks now. As daily ranking gathered by IQAir, a Swiss air quality Technology Company, shows that the air quality of Lahore is not appropriate for breathing.
