00:00 Artificial rain technology made its debut in Lahore, Pakistan, aiming to combat severe
00:05 smog levels in the city.
00:07 This groundbreaking initiative, supported by the United Arab Emirates, targeted 10 areas
00:12 within the megacity using cloud seeding methods.
00:15 The intervention, facilitated by Emirati teams and specialized planes, began around 10 to
00:20 12 days prior.
00:21 Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi acknowledged the UAE's support, stating that this initiative
00:26 approach was a gift to address Lahore's ongoing smog crisis.
00:30 This technique involves around introducing salts into clouds to stimulate rainfall, a
00:35 method used by various countries, including the US, China and the UAE, to address water
00:39 scarcity in arid regions.
00:42 The effectiveness of artificial rain was said to be evaluated on Saturday night, providing
00:46 crucial insights into its potential impact.
00:49 Lahore, a notorious city for its severe air pollution, encounters heightened smog during
00:53 winters due to factors like diesel emissions, crop residue burning and cold temperatures.
00:58 Despite prior efforts like road spraying and weekend shutdown, local authorities have struggled
01:02 to achieve substantial access in reducing air pollution.
01:05 And now, Pakistan has opted for artificial rain.
01:08 Here now, one big question arises is that what exactly is artificial rain and how exactly
01:12 does it work?
01:13 Well, here is a brief explanation.
01:15 It all starts with cloud seeding.
01:17 Cloud seeding is a method of manipulating weather to generate artificial rain.
01:21 This process involves aircraft releasing silver iodide, potassium iodide and dry ice into
01:26 clouds, prompting weather droplets to accumulate and fall as rain.
01:30 This artificial precipitation tends to be heavier than the natural rainfall.
01:33 Over 50 nations have employed this technique since the 1940s, aiming to induce rain.
01:39 Silver iodide works as a nucleus for particle aggregation, forming droplets that eventually
01:44 become heavy enough to precipitate.
01:46 Countries like China and those in the Middle East have extensively utilized this method
01:50 for years.
01:51 China in particular has employed artificial rain to address pollution concerns.
01:55 The global effort in cloud seeding technology reflects ongoing endeavors by nations worldwide
01:59 to leverage this approach in managing weather patterns and addressing environmental challenges.
02:04 After failing on almost every ground to curb pollution, Pakistan now, with the help of
02:08 the UAE, is now heading to perform the same measures.
02:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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