In A First In Country's History, Lahore Receives Artificial Rain

Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi's persistent efforts yielded success as, for the first time in the country's history, artificial rain was successfully tested in Lahore

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Dec, 2023) Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi's persistent efforts yielded success as, for the first time in the country's history, artificial rain was successfully tested in Lahore.

Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in an press conference at the Chief Minister's Office here on Saturday, announced the historic achievement, stating that after 15 days of continuous efforts, the first artificial rain has taken place in Pakistan.

In the initial mission, 48 flares were deployed for cloud seeding in the morning, followed by a second artificial rainfall mission. The precipitation occurred around Shahdara and Muridke areas, benefiting from the necessary cloud cover and wind. CM Mohsin Naqvi expressed gratitude that the artificial rain had incurred no financial cost.

Acknowledging the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi thanked the UAE team, which had been in Pakistan for the past 15 days to facilitate artificial rain. He highlighted that Lahore, once ranked as the most polluted city globally by Airindex, faced significant challenges in experimenting with artificial rain, and he appreciated the support of the UAE President.

CM Naqvi extended gratitude to the federal government and institutions for their unwavering support. Both WASA and LWMC are on high alert, awaiting the results of the second artificial rainfall mission, which will be evident by the next night.

The artificial rain experiment was a joint effort between the Department of Environment and the UAE team. Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi disclosed that the federal government was actively working on artificial rain technology, expressing optimism about more successes in the near future.

Artificial rainfall is a regular practice in the UAE, and the successful implementation on a 15 km stretch in Lahore was a gift from the UAE. The Punjab government provided complete technical support, and Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi conveyed thanks on behalf of the Punjab government to the UAE.

Emphasising the importance of artificial rain experiments for future smog control, the CM also announced plans to install towers for smog control soon. He highlighted that comprehensive long-term and short-term policies were being pursued to address smog-related challenges.

The CM expressed hope that the artificial rain would contribute to improving the air quality index, and the expertise gained would be shared with other provinces. Responding to a question, Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasized the importance of saving lives over monetary concerns and clarified that the Punjab government did not spend anything except for sprinkling water in the endeavor.

Regarding the concerns about health effects, he stated that if artificial rain were harmful, no country would practice it. Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi stressed the need for comprehensive research on smog prevention and expressed confidence that the next government would make informed decisions based on good research.

Introducing an electric bike and vehicle policy, Naqvi shared his personal opinion that the sale of fuel vehicles should be phased out in favour of electric vehicles. Provincial Minister Amir Mir, Commissioner, CCPO, DGPR, and other officials were present during the press conference.