Rumours of cloud seeding ahead of F1 are untrue, says the minister
TODAY, 17 Sep 2015
The National Environment Agency (NEA) does not engage in cloud seeding and has no plans to do so, said Minister for Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan today (Sept 17), refuting rumours that cloud seeding is being carried out by the Government.
“Singapore is so small that even if anybody tried to do it, the rain would almost certainly fall outside Singapore,” he said in a Facebook post.
The post included a screenshot of a Whatsapp message that claimed the Government was conducting cloud seeding to alleviate the haze due to the upcoming Formula 1 race, which starts this Friday. The message, which claimed to be from a “friend working in NEA”, urged people to stay away from “chemically induced rain showers”.
“You may have seen this making the rounds,” said Dr Balakrishan, referring to the Whatsapp message. “It is untrue.”
He stated: “Singaporeans should beware of malicious people spreading false rumours during a period when anxieties are heightened.”
The NEA also addressed the rumour on its website, saying the claims are untrue.
Cloud seeding attempts to artificially induce rain by implanting clouds with suitable particles. In Singapore, the NEA said,there are no reliable means to validate the effectiveness of cloud seeding.
"Cloud seeding also requires existing clouds as it cannot generate rain out of thin and dry air. During dry seasons, cloud seeding is less effective due to the lack of suitable clouds for seeding," said the NEA.
* Government lays out measures to tackle effects of haze
Singapore has been choked in haze recently due to smoke from forest fires in Indonesia, with the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) breaching the 200-mark on several occasions. Over the last few days, the 24-hour PSI showed air quality in the unhealthy range (101-200).
Hazy conditions eased today with the 24-hr PSI at 76-96, in the moderate range (51-100), at 1pm.
According to the NEA’s 1pm update, the 24-hour PSI for the next 12 hours is expected to be in the high end of the moderate range but may enter the low end of the unhealthy range if unfavourable winds blow in haze from Sumatra.
TODAY, 17 Sep 2015
“Singapore is so small that even if anybody tried to do it, the rain would almost certainly fall outside Singapore,” he said in a Facebook post.
The post included a screenshot of a Whatsapp message that claimed the Government was conducting cloud seeding to alleviate the haze due to the upcoming Formula 1 race, which starts this Friday. The message, which claimed to be from a “friend working in NEA”, urged people to stay away from “chemically induced rain showers”.
“You may have seen this making the rounds,” said Dr Balakrishan, referring to the Whatsapp message. “It is untrue.”
He stated: “Singaporeans should beware of malicious people spreading false rumours during a period when anxieties are heightened.”
The NEA also addressed the rumour on its website, saying the claims are untrue.
Cloud seeding attempts to artificially induce rain by implanting clouds with suitable particles. In Singapore, the NEA said,there are no reliable means to validate the effectiveness of cloud seeding.
"Cloud seeding also requires existing clouds as it cannot generate rain out of thin and dry air. During dry seasons, cloud seeding is less effective due to the lack of suitable clouds for seeding," said the NEA.
* Government lays out measures to tackle effects of haze
Singapore has been choked in haze recently due to smoke from forest fires in Indonesia, with the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) breaching the 200-mark on several occasions. Over the last few days, the 24-hour PSI showed air quality in the unhealthy range (101-200).
Hazy conditions eased today with the 24-hr PSI at 76-96, in the moderate range (51-100), at 1pm.
According to the NEA’s 1pm update, the 24-hour PSI for the next 12 hours is expected to be in the high end of the moderate range but may enter the low end of the unhealthy range if unfavourable winds blow in haze from Sumatra.
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