TERHAN -- Iranians mainly in western and northern cities of the country are cheerful after seeing snow in a dry winter which is characterized by very low rates of precipitations.
In the capital Tehran and some other cities people felt blessed to see the snow this year.
Iran has been experiencing an alarmingly dry winter with precipitation much lower than average.
As most parts of Iran experience severe drought, the scientific community is drawing attention towards the root causes of the country’s water crisis.
Like most countries, Iran has a water year, a time period for which total precipitation levels are measured.
It starts somewhere around mid-September and lasts for 12 months. According to Iran’s Meteorological Organization, the rainfall situation this winter has been unsatisfactory and shows a 62% decrease compared to the long-term average.
But Iran’s water woes are not new. Just last summer, many provinces across the country ran out of water with people having to stand in lines to get drinking water from tanks stationed on the streets.
Cloud seeding and other weather modification technologies have existed for many years and are being used by nations all around the world.
China carried it out during the 2022 Winter Olympics to control weather conditions. Russian firefighters have also reportedly seeded clouds to bring down rain over the 2020 wildfires in Siberia.
In the Middle East, the hottest and driest part of the planet, countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are now ramping up efforts to gain access to more water through artificial means.
But these activities have their own set of advantages as well as drawbacks, experts say. “Any form of climate intervention or manipulation comes with its share of risks,” says Arvind Venkataramana, founder and executive director of the Centre for Sustainability, Innovation and Good Governance.
“Studies have shown some methods can cause further droughts and floods, could affect our food chain and add to geopolitical conflicts. Others have shown a whole range of benefits,” adds Venkataramana.
To better monitor weather modification programs governments are investing in, experts believe that global intervention regulations must become stronger.
“There is no need to start from scratch,” says Tracy Raczek, climate policy expert and former climate advisor to United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.
“An international agreement already exists on this issue. Yet it is being neglected,” adds Raczek.
The Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD) went into effect in 1978 and has been ratified by 78 countries, including the United States, China, Britain, Germany, and Russia.
“The international community needs to shore up international policy on the security risks of cloud seeding as well as other weather modification technologies and soon,” says Raczek.
“Crafting policy takes time,” she adds.