KCR blames 'foreign countries' for cloudburst - Could China, known for cloud seeding, be behind it?

Cloudburst conspiracy: Telangana CM KCR has alleged the role of 'foreign countries' in India's recent cloudbursts. Does his theory hold any relevance? Find out here.

Pic Credit: File Photo

New Delhi: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao hinted that damaging cloudbursts in the country could have been caused by 'foreign' forces. He said that he has received 'gloomy' information about the same. The Telangana CM also known as KCR was talking about the recent cloudbursts in several parts of the country, including the Godavari river basin. 

"A new method called cloudburst has come. They say there are conspiracies around it. We don't know how far it is true. Some foreign countries are deliberately doing cloudbursts in our country. Earlier, they did it in Leh (Ladakh). Later, they did it in Uttarakhand. We have received 'gloomy, gloomy' information that they are doing in the Godavari basin also. Whatever it is due to changes in climate these kinds of calamities occur. So, we need to safeguard our people," said Rao, popularly known as KCR.

While many, including BJP leaders ridiculed KCR for his remarks. It also sparked a debate among certain groups if another country namely China which shares a border with India could be behind orchestrating a cloudburst by causing artifical rain. 

Let's take a look at this cloudburst theory and questions related to it:

What is a cloudburst?

A cloudburst, in simple terms, is when a large amount of rain occurs in a short period of time. It may or may not be accompanied by thunder and hail. It is certainly capable of creating flood-like situations. There have been a few, concerning cloudbursts situations recently in the country. For instance, on July 8, a cloudburst occurred at Pahalgam on the way to Amarnath cave shrine.

What is articifical rain and how do countries create it?

Artificial rain is the practice of making rain by inducing precipitation through clouds by adding external agents. Usually, foreign particles such as dry ice, silver iodide, salt powder, etc are drenched over clouds. This whole process is called cloud seeding. It is carried out by planes or by shooting the external agents into the sky.

There are more than 50 countries who are involved in weather modification research according to 2016 data by the World Meteorological Organization.

Has China used artificial rain or cloud seeding?

Yes, China is known for its progress in weather modification including inducing artificial rain through cloud seeding. Last year, China had used cloud seeding to clear the skies and lower air pollution as reported by the South China Morning Post. China has been modifying weather since 2008. It had forced the rain to come early and cleared the skies for the Beijing Olympics.

Why does KCR think 'foreign' forces caused cloudbursts in India?

The Telangana Minister stated that the previous incidents of cloudburts were close to the borders of the county such as Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

Conspiracy theorists believe that since most of these incidents happen in areas bordering India-China, our Chinese neighbours could be behind the devastating cloudbursts. In addition, there has been a border dispute between the two for years.