Zimbabwe dry spell prompts Met Office cloud seeding

Written by Editor Tuesday, 05 January 2010 16:46

ZDDT Zimbabwe News: Efforts being made to limit impact of El Nino climate phenomenon on Zimbabwe's 2009 / 2010 rainy season.

The Meteorological Services Department has started cloud seeding countrywide, targeting some dry parts of the country with conducive cloud cover for rain formation.

The department said vast swathes of the country were not receiving enough rain and crops were already suffering from moisture stress.

Cloud seeding, which has been concentrated in Mashonaland, Midlands and parts of Manicaland and Matebeleland North provinces, is meant to increase rainfall and cushion farmers against prolonged dry spells.

Met Services head of weather forecasting Tich Zinyemba yesterday said the exercise would cover the rest of the country although parts of Masvingo, Bulawayo and southern parts of Manicaland did not have conducive conditions for cloud seeding.

The 2009 / 2010 rainy season is one that is to be dominated by the El Nino weather phenomenon which often means drought for Zimbabwe and much of Sub Saharan Africa.

The last major drought in 1992, that had a major impact on the Zimbabwean economy, was said to have been a direct consequence of El Nino.

The phenomenon is already having major impacts on global weather - Britain is experiencing its coldest winter in 30 years, Australia its hottest summer in living memory while Kenya is experiencing flash floods.

It is hoped that such extremes will however escape Zimbabwe.