Rain Enhancement Technology: Making Sense of the “Cloud Seeding” Program in India

This article examines cloud seeding technology from a social perspective, with a focus on its evolution in India over the past six decades. It argues that the technology has developed in two intertwined trajectories: as a research experiment and as an operational service. The research dimension has evolved in conjunction with international development, while the operational projects are supported and sustained by the state for their appeal as drought relief. In the absence of a national policy, ambiguities over the efficacy of cloud seeding technology have remained obscured from public debate. It has brought forth a situation where the concerned agencies admit that there is no clarity as yet on effectiveness of the particular technology, and at the same time various state governments execute large cloud seeding projects using taxpayer’s money. It points toward the political dimension of the technology and calls for a review of program assessment framework and inclusion of public participation.