Cloud seeding kicks off in Cagayan Valley
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) office has started cloud seeding operations to mitigate the effects of El Niño in the area.
Ferdinand Cortez of the DA-Region 2 unit’s Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section said rain fell in torrents as the Piper Navajo Flyers aircraft touched down at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Base at Cauayan Airport after scattering sodium chloride on cloud formations some 4,500 feet above the ground on targeted areas.
During the operation, Cortez said the DA-Region 2 unit’s sky and cloud spotters were stationed in Iguig, Enrile and Tuguegarao in Cagayan; Santo Tomas, Santa Maria, Ilagan and Benito Soliven in Isabela; and Barangay Villaros in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya.
He said spotters messaged affirmative to waiting Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) personnel manning their consoles online, and Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots and crew monitoring their apps.
Rose Mary Aquino, DA-Region 2 officer in charge executive director, said the cloud seeding operations can cushion the initial impact of El Niño. “Crops really need the precipitation and the cooling effect of the rain,” she said.
Before the operation, Roberto Busania, DA-Region 2 technical director for operations and extension, said they coordinated and planned through online conferences with the PAF, BSWM, Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Offices and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) office in Region 2.
“We have been busy since February 19, 2024, actually, as we monitored cloud formation using available models online,” Busania said.
Daisy Saldo of the DA-Region 2 Agriculture Engineering Division said the cloud seeding operation had to consider many parameters before execution.
“We have to confirm the identified clouds spotted by the apps from BSWM by our sky spotters. Furthermore, we have to get the timing that these clouds are above the targeted cornland and other areas subject to the direction of the wind,” Saldo said.