Iranian authorities have begun cloud seeding operations in a bid to bring rainfall amid the country\u2019s most severe drought in decades, according to state media. \u201cToday, a cloud seeding flight was conducted over the Urmia Lake basin for the first time in the current water year,\u201d which began in September, the official IRNA news agency reported late Saturday. Urmia, in northwest Iran, is the country\u2019s largest lake but has largely dried up, leaving behind a vast salt bed due to prolonged drought. IRNA noted that additional cloud seeding efforts are planned for the provinces of East and West Azerbaijan. Cloud seeding involves dispersing particles like silver iodide or salt into clouds from aircraft to stimulate rainfall. Iran claimed last year that it had developed its own technology for the process. Meanwhile, rainfall has been recorded in Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Lorestan, and West Azerbaijan provinces. The country\u2019s meteorological organization reported that rainfall this year has dropped by roughly 89 percent compared to long-term averages. \u201cWe are currently experiencing the driest autumn in 50 years,\u201d the agency said. State media also shared footage of snow covering Tochal mountain and its ski resort near Tehran in the Alborz range, marking the first snowfall of the season. Iran, a largely arid country, has for years suffered chronic dry spells and heat waves expected to worsen with climate change. Rainfall in the capital Tehran has been at its lowest level in a century, according to local officials, and half of Iran’s provinces have not seen a drop of rain in months. Water levels at reservoirs supplying many provinces have fallen to record lows. Earlier this month, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that without rain before winter, Tehran could face evacuation, though he did not elaborate. Other countries in the region, including the United Arab Emirates, have also used cloud seeding to artificially produce rain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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