The government of Ethiopia is exploring different innovative solutions to tackle water scarcity and drought in the arid and semi-arid areas. As part of its efforts to tackle climate change, Ethiopia has set the ball of Green Legacy Initiative rolling throughout the country so as to plant billions of trees. For the past five consecutive years now the effort has been underway. By increasing the forest coverage of the country, Ethiopia aims to tackle drought and rainfall scarcity.
Introduced in 2021, Cloud Seeding technology is a very recent practice in Ethiopia. For many Ethiopians, it was a surprise and something like breaking news to hear about a downpour using cloud seeding technology in March 2021. While addressing the members of the Parliament at that time, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) briefed them about the government’s activities in the technology sector and announced the first application of cloud seeding in Ethiopia.
In March 2021, PM Abiy said that the perks of cloud seeding technology were introduced in Ethiopia for the first time. As a result of the cloud seeding, a heavy shower was witnessed, which was the first of its type in Ethiopia. For many Ethiopians, it was a surprise entry into cloud seeding technology after hearing the news from the words of PM Abiy.
Last week, I visited the National Water and Energy Exhibition organized by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Water and Energy of Ethiopia at the Science Museum here in Addis Ababa. The national exhibition organized with the motto “Water for Prosperity” aims at promoting activities, new technologies, research outcomes and innovations in the water and energy sectors in Ethiopia.
Cloud Seeding technology is among the products presented at the National Water Exhibition. During my stay there, I had a talk with an expert from National Meteorological Institute of Ethiopia (NMIE), who was briefing about cloud seeding technology to visitors of the exhibition.
Leta Bekele, a researcher at the National Meteorology Institute, said that though cloud technology has been practiced since its inception in 1946 in the developed world, it is new for Ethiopia. Introduced in 2021, the technology is a latecomer in Ethiopia. According to Leta, Ethiopia started the technology in 2021 by implementing it around the North West part of the country around the Abay (Blue Nile) River Basin areas. It was effective at that time.
For Leta, the rain-inducing technique, cloud-seeding technology has been in practice for over six or seven decades in the developed world. As to him, there must be a cloud to practice the technology and it aims at making the existing cloud give a rain. By adding a harmless iodized substance to the existing cloud, the process involves seeding existing clouds to give water droplets that cover the area. It allows the available cloud to form an ice crystal which helps the cloud to give rain. By harnessing moisture and pulling it to earth, the technology brings rain mostly in dry areas or when a drought occurs.
“It is making the existing cloud give rain during dry seasons,” Leta said, adding that but to practice it, there should be a cloud in the atmosphere. Leta added that the technology was been used for different purposes since its inception in 1946 by different countries. As to him, since its inception, the technology was used for flight safety by clearing clouds for flights and for fulfilling multipurpose dams, mainly hydro-power dams. During dry seasons and others, it was used for melting ice in the clouds so as to control its effects on crops while it rained.
For these purposes and other activities by identifying the type of cloud in the atmosphere, countries applied the technology, though it is new for Ethiopia. Ethiopia introduced the technology in 2021 as a means of solving rainfall shortages during the dry season. For Leta, by using the technology at the right time, it helps an existing cloud give rain. “If a cloud happens in a dry area, the technology helps to give rain the available cloud. But all clouds are not applicable for giving rain; the cloud must be a convective cloud,” he stated.
Convective cloud forms when a warm humid air rises through cooler surrounding air in the atmosphere. Using radar technology to read the movement of the cloud in the area and the humidity and identify the type of cloud and speed of the air in the area, it evaluates the features of the cloud in the area. After these assessments, by using the technology, it helps the existing cloud to bring rain to the area.
After identifying the type of cloud in the area and the wind direction and the speed of the wind, the interference needs to develop the cloud to give rain, the expert stated. By providing the necessary information about the cloud in the particular area, by flying in to the area, the pilots add an iodized particle which is sodium chloride or potassium chloride in to the existing cloud, he added. The iodine particle, according to Leta, by its nature gathers moisture. Through that way, the technology helps the cloud to give rain or to increase the volume of the rain.
Leta stated that, in 2021 Ethiopia applied cloud seeding for the first time in North Western part of the country, mainly around the Nile River basin. The aim was to facilitate the Abay Dam (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) water reservoir process.
Since then, the technology has been applied in 2022 and even in 2023 in different areas of the southern parts of Ethiopia. Leta said that in connection with the drought in Borena and some parts of the south-eastern areas of Ethiopia, cloud seeding technology was applied both in 2022 and 2023 at different times when cloud was present in the areas.
Meanwhile, Information Network Security Administration (INSA) on Thursday reported that cloud seeding technology is scoring encouraging results in supporting in rain scarcity areas to get rain. INSA noted that efforts are underway to come up with encouraging outcomes in making cloud seeding project realistic in Ethiopia.
On Thursday, INSA launched a cloud seeding technology demonstration at home using three different methods: drones, ground generators and remote-controlled ground generators. All three tests, according to INSA, were successful. During the event, INSA Director-General Solomon Soka said that cloud seeding efforts in rain-scarce lowland areas of the country bring notable outcomes in solving the rainfall scarcity.
Solomon reiterated that efforts are going on to expand the cloud seeding technology so as to expand the technology to cover more areas in the country. For her part, Minister for the Ministry of Irrigation and Lowland, Aisha Mohammed, said that as Ethiopia’s agriculture is dominantly dependent on natural rainfall, lowland areas of the country are facing rainfall scarcity and drought, which affect the livelihood of the people.
Expanding cloud seeding technology would help to solve rainfall scarcity and to tackle drought in the lowland areas of Ethiopia. Aysha stated that Ministry of Irrigation and Lowland works with INSA in developing the technology and in providings support for the work of 60 ground generators necessary to develop cloud seeding.
Cloud-seeded technology is based on hydrological and climatological aspects of the atmosphere. By helping the area get rain or enhancing rainfall in the area by using the existing cloud, the technology helps make farming suitable in the area. Though Ethiopia has started applying the technology since 2021, it still uses rented planes from abroad as it has no planes for this purpose.
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2023
