The Indian Express 04.09.2012
No need for cloud-seeding now: Kunte
Heavy showers in the past 24 hours has prompted e Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Sitaram Kunte to admit that the civic body may not undertake cloud-seeding to induce rain in Mumbai's cachment areas.
“Despite a poor rainfall performance for a month and half into the monsoon season, the past one week has seen good rainfall. Thus we no longer have an urgency to carry out cloud-seeding,” said Kunte.
Following a healthy amount of rainfall last week, Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar had said that the civic body will assess the need for cloud-seeding after acquiring certain permissions from the Centre. On August 16, Kunte along with Mayor Sunil Prabhu announced that civic body would begin the operation – the cost of which had escalated to as much as 20 crores – with sorties starting from September 1.
Kunte emphasised that the BMC will continue with its long term plan to create a database of scientific research to aid any future need for cloud-seeding in the coming years. “We have seen that the rainfall in the city is unpredictable.In 2003 and 2009 as well, Mumbai had to consider cloud-seeding. With help from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and the Indian Meteorological Department we will continue to hold scientific research that will support any future operations if the need arises,” said Kunte.
Tansa lake, which along with Modak Sagar, Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna, is a major water supplier to the city, began overflowing on Monday afternoon as the water level reached the lake's limit of 128.63m. “At around 12 pm today, Tansa started overflowing. Tulsi lake needs to rise by only 1m to reach full capacity. Hopefully both Tulsi and Vihar will be filled soon,” said the Municipal Commissioner.
Tulsi and Vihar account for a small percentage of the city's water supply.However, lake levels of Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa which together account for over 70 per cent of the city's water supply, are still short of reaching full capacity. As of Monday morning, the levels here stood at 600.92m and 135.38m respectively. Total level of water collected in the cachment areas stands at 10,36025 million litres — short of approximately 2 lakh million litres — to suffice for the city’s annual need of at least 12 lakh million litres.
On August 8, water at the Modak Sagar dam started overflowing. Kunte said, “Middle Vaitarna Dam reached full capacity at the start of the month but because of the bridge we have been diverting this water towards Modak Sagar.”
