Belgaum Sugars, which is owned by Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, will carry out cloud seeding in Belagavi district on Friday. “The exercise is part of the company’s social welfare activity and the unit is not seeking any government support,” Mr. Jarkiholi told journalists in Belagavi on Thursday.
“We hope it will help farmers in the drought-hit district,” he said.
As many as 12 taluks of the 14 of the district are on the State government’s drought-hit taluk list. He said that similar experiments in districts like Haveri have achieved significant success in bringing rain.
The flight carrying the necessary chemicals will go around seeding clouds across the district twice in the day, first at 1 p.m. and again, at 4 p.m.
The flight operated by Hyderabad-based Kyathi Climate Modification Consultants will take off from Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad in the morning. It will arrive at the Belagavi Airport in Sambra at 11.30 a.m. The flight, VT-KCM, will be piloted by Captain Virendra Singh and Captain Adarsha Pandey.
It is expected to complete the operation and leave for Hyderabad by evening.
Kyathi Climate Modification Consultants has obtained the necessary permission from the Director-General of Civil Aviation. They have requested the local airport authorities to accord the highest priority to the flight. “We will request them to do so,” the Minister said.
