The United Arab Emirates is testing technology aimed at boosting rain produced by cloud seeding as the desert nation seeks to improve water security. Like many other Middle Eastern countries, the UAE relies heavily on desalination to meet its growing water needs, reported by Bloomberg.
Rain-boosting cloud seeding
But it is 25 times more expensive than cloud seeding, according to Abdullah Al Mandous, director general of the National Center for Meteorology. The effectiveness of cloud seeding, which currently uses salt flares attached to aircraft to increase rainfall, could be tripled with nanotechnology and potentially increased ninefold by using electrical pulses, he said. NCM is testing both technologies. “If it is successful, we will be able to implement them,” Al Mandus said in an interview in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Optimizing existing dams and aquifers in the UAE
However, infrastructure improvements will also be needed to capture the additional rain, as the UAE government is working on a plan that could include optimizing existing dams and aquifers or building new ones, Al Mandus said. The UAE’s poor infrastructure to deal with excessive rain was highlighted when flooding paralyzed Dubai last year.
There are also concerns about the environmental impact of using salt particles and flares attached to polluting aircraft. The NCM regularly tests the UAE’s soil for salt from cloud seeding, Al Mandus said.