TEHRAN: Iranian officials have started cloud seeding efforts to encourage rainfall as the country faces its most severe drought in decades, according to state media reports.
For the first time this water year, which began in September, a cloud seeding flight took place over the Urmia Lake basin, the official IRNA news agency announced on Saturday.
Urmia Lake, located in northwestern Iran, is the country’s largest lake but has become mostly dry, turning into a large salt flat due to the persistent drought.
IRNA mentioned that more cloud seeding operations are planned for the provinces of East and West Azerbaijan.
Cloud seeding is a technique where substances like silver iodide and salt are released into clouds from airplanes to help stimulate rain.
Last year, Iran revealed that it had developed its own cloud seeding technology.
On Saturday, IRNA reported that some rainfall was recorded in areas such as Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and Lorestan in the west, as well as in the northwestern region of West Azerbaijan.
The country’s meteorological organization reported that this year’s rainfall has fallen by approximately 89 percent compared to long-term averages.
They added, “We are currently experiencing the driest autumn the country has seen in 50 years.”
State media also shared images of snow falling for the first time this year on Tochal mountain, which is located near Tehran in the Alborz mountain range.
Iran, primarily a dry country, has been grappling with ongoing droughts and heat waves, which are expected to become more severe due to climate change.
Rainfall in the capital, Tehran, has dropped to the lowest levels in a century, according to local officials, with half of Iran’s provinces not receiving any rain for months.
