Minister says app can help regulate rainfall, draws flak
DEHRADUN: Disaster management minister Dhan Singh Rawat has drawn flak for claiming an app can help “increase or decrease the intensity of rainfall as per requirement”. He made the claim while speaking to a group of people a few days ago amid heavy rainfall in the state over the last week.
A video of Rawat making the claim was widely circulated on social media. The minister said: “Now, there is an app which has come out which can increase or decrease the intensity of rain in a place where it is expected to rain heavily and cause damage to life and property. I will soon give a presentation to the Centre on the same . ... this (app) can be a boon for many other states of the country.”
Congress leader Harish Rawat mocked the minister and shared the video on Facebook. “The app that Dhan Singh Rawat is talking about for a presentation to the Centre would help in solving the challenges faced by the country and its farmers due to uncertain rains every year. Now chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami should recommend his name for Bharat Ratna.”
Congress state spokesperson Garima Dasauni referred to the minister’s claim and asked: “Where did these leaders get so much wisdom from? Now, Rudraprayag’s rain will occur at Rudrapur and Dharchula’s rain will occur at Dehradun.”
When contacted, Rawat said, “They are oblivious of the existence of such a technology. My department was apprised of that about a month ago after which we formed a panel of three experts led by director of Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC) MPS Bisht to submit a report on the same to us after proper analysis.”
“I am yet to receive that report after which following a detailed evaluation, I would go to the Centre to explain it for further action in direction to acquire it,” said Rawat.
On the viral video, he said he “didn’t make the statement to any media or official gathering”.
“A few days ago, I was with four-five people in an informal gathering. We were discussing disaster management in the state when I brought the new technology in the discussion. Someone among the gathering was recording by conversation. He put that video on the social media but after editing the full context of my statement. I never talk about something without knowing it,” said the minister.
USAC director Bisht said Rawat was speaking in context to new technology and mistakenly used the term app to describe it.
He said the government panel has already studied the technology known as “magnetic ion generator” for implementation in the state to fight forest fires.
“This technology actually does exist and has been developed by a Dubai-based Russian scientist. It has been used several times in Dubai to create rainfall,” he said.
“The panel has submitted its report to the government. Now, the government will take the decision to go ahead with it or not.”