The process involves spraying chemical agents, such as silver iodide or potassium, from aircraft or ground installations, which promotes the condensation of water vapor and precipitation.
Last week, this technology was used for the first time over the Urmia salt lake basin, according to information from the Iranian official agency Irna.
Urmia, the largest lake in Iran after the Caspian Sea, has significantly shrunk and turned into a salt flat in recent years due to drought.
Cloud seeding is planned to continue in West and East Azerbaijan, near the lake.
According to the Iranian meteorological service, this year, precipitation levels in the country have dropped by 89% compared to long-term averages.
Prayers for rain have already been held in Tehran. Photo: EPA / Shutterstock.
In Tehran, where more than 9 million people live, water reserves in reservoirs have fallen below 10% of total capacity. Authorities are considering the possibility of imposing water supply restrictions, and President Masoud Pezeshkian even mentioned the potential evacuation of residents.
The method of cloud seeding has been known for many years and has been actively used in recent years in the United Arab Emirates to address water scarcity issues.
