Jaipur firm claims success in AI-powered cloud seeding through drones at Ramgarh dam

Jaipur, Sep 3 (PTI) A climate-tech company here has claimed to have successfully conducted its first cloud-seeding operation at Jaipur's Ramgarh dam through drones equipped with an artificial intelligence-powered platform.

According to a press release, Acce11, in partnership with regional partner GenXAI, deployed two "Make-in-India" drones, seamlessly integrated with advanced climate science and AI-driven seeding technology.

The drones ascended to 850 metres above the dam on Monday, targeting clouds at 800 metres above sea level with a 0.8 km spread, dispersing seeding agents with precision, guided by predictive meteorology analytics.

It enhanced cloud microphysics and increased the droplet size and concentration, triggering rainfall that surpassed expectations, measuring 0.8 mm against an estimated 0.6 mm, proving the operation's success, the release said.

Rajasthan's Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena said the achievement was a leap toward sustainable water management.

An earlier demonstration of the cloud-seeding operation was planned for August 12 in the presence of the agriculture minister, but was called off due to technical issues and regulatory challenges.

The drone had lost its GPS signal amid a dense crowd that had gathered to witness the demonstration and high mobile network interference made the demonstration unsafe to execute.

Later, the experiments continued and concluded on Monday. PTI SDA SMV RC