Kazakhstan tests cloud seeding against drought

Kazakhstan is testing cloud seeding in its southern Turkestan region as it tries to reduce the impact of severe drought and water shortages in the country’s main cotton-growing area.

The project uses aircraft fitted with cloud-seeding flare systems. Cartridges on the wings release substances that attach to cloud droplets, making them heavy enough to fall as rain, according to specialists working on the project.

Kazakh authorities are targeting areas with about 9,110 square kilometres of arable land. They estimate the technique could bring about $75 million a year in economic benefits through better harvests.

Ahmed Aljaberi, a pilot with the United Arab Emirates’ meteorological centre, said the aircraft must identify suitable clouds, get close to them and detect updrafts before seeding can begin. The UAE centre conducts cloud seeding at home and is collaborating with Kazakhstan.

Project officials said the technique does not create new clouds, and studies cited in the supplied material suggest it can at best increase precipitation by 15 to 20 percent. Those involved also warn that success is uncertain because many factors must align and not every cloud can be seeded.

The trials have caused concern in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, where fears have been raised that rain clouds could be diverted to Kazakhstan and worsen Kyrgyz drought conditions. Kazakhstan’s meteorological service said the project’s impact is “local and short-lived” and does not affect climate processes or alter air-mass movement.

The World Meteorological Organization has called for more research into weather modification, while saying the technique poses no danger to human health or the environment and could have economic benefits if successful.

Regional agricultural official Kazbek Bedebayev said Turkestan experienced eight months without rain in 2025 and very low humidity. He said cloud seeding “will not meet all needs” and should be combined with measures such as drip irrigation and repairs to ageing irrigation canals.