Current Affairs

Issue

The Himachal Pradesh government will be using an indigenously developed anti-hail gun for preventing horticulture crops from hail storms.

 

Details

• The anti hail gun is a device that will create shock waves to disrupt formation of hail clouds in the sky in a particular place.

• The device looks like an inverted structure, which has a narrow cone that stands several metres tall into the sky.

• The device should be fed with air and acetylene gas. It will use these products to produce shock waves that are faster than the speed of the sound.

• The shockwaves act as inhibitors that prevent water droplets from turning into hail stones. They fall as rain drops rather than hails.

 

Hailstones

• Hailstones are meteorological phenomenon that is caused by high cumulonimbus clouds, which can also produce thunder and lightning.

• The underlying winds are responsible for pushing the water droplets to higher altitude where they freeze and fall onto the Earth.

• These falling frozen droplets are further pushed higher until they repeatedly freeze. More layer of water gets added on them and they turn bulky and heavy.

• The hail guns will disrupt this process of upward movement of water clouds. The shockwaves will prevent winds from pushing them upwards and instead make them fall early.

 

Earlier instants

• Similar guns were brought experimentally few years back. The device had not reportedly performed well and there was high cost involved.

• The device should be fired at correct time to get the desired result. The operator must be updated about the weather conditions like wind speed etc.

• They will have to identify the cloud that can form hail storm and has to fire at it before the process of hail formations occur.

 

Effects of hail storms

• Hail storms destroy horticulture crops such as apples and pears. These crops have a major role in the state’s economy.

• The government has provided farmers with anti-hail nets but these nets can provide limited safety as during extreme weather they break down and cause damage to trees underneath.