Meteorologist Cleanthis Nicolaides has urged the government to reconsider implementing a Cyprus cloud seeding programme, warning that the island is experiencing its fourth consecutive dry year and that dam reserves have dropped to just 11% capacity.
Speaking to Protoselido, Nicolaides expressed concern over the ongoing drought and unseasonably warm weather, saying that “it doesn’t feel like the end of October- or even the beginning of November,” and describing the current conditions as a “prolonged summer.”
He highlighted that cloud seeding- the artificial enhancement of rainfall- is not a new idea for Cyprus. “Between 1971 and 1974, the island ran a rain enhancement programme, back when knowledge of cloud physics was still limited. During Archbishop Makarios’s time, we saw the first experiments. And now, with far more advanced technology, we’re not doing it,” he said, adding that “at least forty countries worldwide, including in our region, use this technology.”
Cloud seeding is used to help drought-stricken regions boost rainfall by targeting cumulus clouds with seeding agents. These trigger condensation processes that increase precipitation compared to natural levels.
Nicolaides argued that Cyprus should now seriously reassess its options: “We have to consider what it costs not to act: farmers’ lost income, compensation payments, damage to forests, increased fire risk, empty dams, and the collapse of the primary sector. These must all be calculated together. That’s how proper work is done.”
He also revealed that a past proposal from the United States for cooperation on cloud seeding projects had been rejected. “The Americans came, made suggestions, and we said no- supposedly because of the cost. But put that cost next to the losses from drought and agricultural damage,” he remarked.
The call to revisit the Cyprus cloud seeding programme comes amid mounting concern over the island’s shrinking water reserves and the worsening effects of climate change.
Also read: Officials warn Cyprus may face fourth year of drought
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