Venezuela thanks Cuba to call rain and wind

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that Cuban scientists will create rain to help the country get out of drought.

Drought caused by El Nino weather phenomenon is pushing the Venezuelan people into the lack of clean water and electricity. Water levels in many reservoirs have reached record levels. Recently, President Chavez called on people to bathe only three minutes a day to save water.

According to the AP, Mr Chavez said Cuban experts arrived in Venezuela with specialized aircraft. They will fly above the Orinoco River to shoot chemicals into the clouds.

Chavez did not disclose the method of rain that Cuban scientists apply. But the most common method is to shoot silver iodine particles into clouds to accelerate condensation and create large ice crystals. Ice crystals will melt into water when falling. China used to put silver iodine into the rocket and fired it into the air to rain in arid areas.

Cuban scientists will fly above the Orinoco river to cause artificial rain.The river is about 700 km south of Caracas.Photo: Reuters.

On the theory of artificial rain-making process, there are 3 stages. First, people use airplanes to spray chemicals that stimulate the air to rise and form clouds. Chemicals used in this period are CaCl ₂ , CaC ₂ , CaO, compounds of salt and urea, anlonium nitrate. These compounds are capable of absorbing water vapor from the air mass, thus stimulating the condensation process.

Next is the accumulation period. During this period, the number of kernels condensed and the density of cool particles increased in the clouds. In the final stage, aircraft sprayed on cloudy blocks of slow-growing chemicals including silver iodine (AgI) and dry ice (frozen CO2). They cause the highest level of imbalance, creating many water particles. When the particle size is large enough, they will fall to the ground.