• NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is allocating P13 million for another round of cloudseeding in Negros and Panay next month after the successful cloudseeding sorties conducted from Sept. 7 to Oct. 14.
On Oct. 16, SRA Board Member David Andrew Sanson met with personnel of Philippine Air Force (PAF) and Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM) for an exit conference at the SRA Visayas Office in Bacolod City.
“We are preparing for another round of cloudseeding in November with a budget allocation of P13 million to ease the effects of the Super El Niño,” Sanson said in a statement.
The SRA official discussed the accomplishments and challenges during the cloudseeding operations with the PAF group led by 1st Lt. Nelmar Marquez and DA-BSWM personnel headed by Florante Bande, chief of Agro Hydrology and Rain Stimulation Section.
They reported a 100 percent rain fall success rate during the 38 cloudseeding sorties conducted from Sept. 7 to Oct. 14, with a budget of P6 million allocated by the DA-BSWM.
“I commend our men and women in the Air Force and the DA for ensuring the success of the operations, despite the many challenges they encountered, particularly with the dangers posed by the volcanic eruptions,” he added.
The operation, which ran for 28 actual days, comprised 52 flight hours, using 11,400 kilograms of vacuum sodium chloride as seeding materials.
In their report, the joint team identified three major challenges, including limited target due to varying crop stages, reduced visibility due to effects of eruption of Kanlaon Volcano, and the risk blockage of the aircraft’s air intake system due to volcanic ash which may adversely affect engine performance and flight safety.
Cloudseeding aims to induce or enhance rainfall over agricultural areas experiencing moisture stress and reduced water availability, helping support crop growth and sustain agricultural production. | NLG
