Desperate for rain, Kazakhstan deploys cloud-seeding

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Turkestan: Kazakhstan, which is experiencing severe drought and water shortages, has turned to cloud-seeding technology to send rain to its dry southern regions.

The government has undertaken its first large-scale cloud-seeding effort in Central Asia, focusing on Turkestan, a major cotton-growing region. The project includes approximately 9,110 square kilometres of agriculture, which experts believe could create $75 million in annual economic benefits from improved harvests.

The operation employs aircraft equipped with cloud-seeding flares. Salts, such as sodium chloride and potassium chloride, are released into appropriate clouds, causing water droplets to become heavier and fall as rain. However, the approach cannot manufacture clouds and is only effective when appropriate cloud forms exist. Scientists believe that cloud-seeding can boost rainfall by 15-20% under ideal conditions.

The scheme has also sparked alarm in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, where some believe Kazakhstan will eject rain clouds. Kazakh authorities have dismissed such worries, claiming that the effects are local and temporary, and do not affect larger weather patterns.

Kazakhstan's Turkestan area went eight months without rain in 2025, and the country is also seeing rising temperatures due to climate change. To address the water situation, officials say cloud seeding must be paired with measures like drip irrigation and canal repairs.