RAIN SHADOW AREAS DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
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Government of Andhra Pradesh created the Rain Shadow Areas Development
Department in June 2004. Click

here for Govt. Order No.133)
The basic objective of the RSAD Department is to work for the improvement of
livelihoods for the people living in Rain deficient areas in the State. The Government
has identified areas that received less than 600 mm rainfall in 9 out of the last 18
years as Rain Shadow Areas.( Click

here for district wise details of Rain
Shadow Areas)
The RSAD Department has been entrusted with the following subjects.
The new Department is hereby entrusted with the following subjects:
1) Cloud-seeding
2) Use of bio-diesel
3) Lift Irrigation
4) Micro Irrigation
5) Watershed Development
6) Desalinization of sea water, and
7) Any other programs connected with the development such areas.
2. About Department: The RSAD Department is headed by Secretary and
assisted by one Additional Secretary and other staff. At present, the activities of
the departments are concentrated in Ananthpur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool,
Mehboobnagar, Rangareddy, Nalgonda Medak, Prakasham and Nellore districts.
The Project Director, District Water Management Agency (DWMA) are dealing with
the subjects of department at district level and the Commissioner, Rural
development is the HOD at State level. The Office of the department is located in
1st Floor, K’Block in the Secretariat.
Organizational Structure of the RSAD Department
Click

here for Directory of personnel working in RSAD Department)
3. Programmes of the Department: At present he Dept is dealing with Cloud
seeding programme and Bio-diesel plantation in the State.
3. Cloud seeding programme:
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Cloud Seeding :
Cloud seeding is the process of spreading either dry ice (or more commonly, silver
iodide aerosols) into the upper part of clouds to try to stimulate the precipitation
process and form rain. Since most rainfall starts through the growth of ice crystals
from super-cooled cloud droplets (droplets colder than the freezing point, 32 deg.
F) in the upper parts of clouds, the silver iodide particles are meant to encourage
the growth of new ice particles. The history of cloud seeding has seen uncertain
results because even if a cloud rains after seeding, it is not known whether the
cloud would have rained anyway.
2. Cloud seeding though a complex process in simple terms , it introduces other
particles into a cloud to serve as cloud condensation nuclei and aid in the
formation of precipitation. There are three types of cloud seeding: static mode,
dynamic mode, and hygroscopic seeding.
3. Static mode cloud seeding seeks to increase rainfall by adding ice crystals
(usually in the form of silver iodide or dry ice) to cold clouds.
4. Dynamic mode cloud seeding increases rainfall by enhancing "vertical air
currents in clouds and thereby vertically process more water through the clouds."
Basically, in this method of seeding, a much larger number of ice crystals are
added to the cloud than in the static mode.
5. In hygroscopic seeding, salt crystals are released into a cloud. These particles
grow until they are large enough to cause precipitation to form. Clouds can be
seeded from above with the help of airplanes that drop pyrotechnics, or from the
ground by using artillery or ground-to-air rockets
Cloud Seeding during 2003 :
Government of Andhra Pradesh has taken up Cloud Seeding for the first time during 2003
duly hiring one aircraft for 61 days for Ananthpur district. The radar services of M/s Agni
Aviation at Bangalore meant for cloud seeding in Karnataka were utilized. Irrigation &
CAD Department through WALAMTARI has carried out the programme. The total cost of
the project was Rs 2.5 crores.
Cloud Seeding programme during 2004 :
1. Government started Cloud Seeding Operations in 2004 to cover the Rain Shadow districts
utilizing 2 aircraft, (one from Hyderabad & another from Bangalore) and Radar Station at
Nandayal. The contract was awarded to M/s Agni Aviations Consultants ,Bangalore supported
by Weather Modification Co, USA. The program commenced from 23.7.2004 .
2.The cloud seeding activities were extended to Northern Telangana districts by putting radar
station at Karimnagar and using one additional aircraft from Hyderabad and radar at
Karimnagar from September 2004.Radar from Karimnagar was shifted to Tirumala during
December to cover the Northwest monsoon.
3.The period of contract was for 105 days with 150 free flying hours for each aircraft.
4.Total cost of contract was Rs. 19,72,61,716 .
Rs. 11,83,95630- First Contract.
Rs. 7,88,66,086- Second Contract.
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5. Districts where cloud seding conducted :Mehboobnagar, Rangareddy, Kurnool, Ananthpur,
Kadapa, Prakasham, Nalgonda, Guntur, Chittoor , Nellore , Warangal, Karimnagar, Adilabad,
Khammam, Medak & Nizamabad.
Total No. of Mandals cloud seeded-510
6. Total days seeding conducted-146 days (87 days seeded).
7. Total No. of days rainfall received – 75
8. Total Flying Hours- 510 hrs.
9. 964 hygros (warm clouds), 161 BIPs and 1436 ejectables used.
10. 510 Mandals in 16 districts were covered.
11. Area of influence covers 10420 Villages.
12.Cumulative rainfall received 8574 mm in 87 days.
International Workshop on Cloud Seeding:
The Govt conducted an International Workshop on Weather Modification and Cloud Seeding
Technologies for Rain Water Enhancement on 27th 28th January, 2005.
Various experts of
Companies with Cloud Seeding experience, Scientists from reputed National Organizations,
Officials, Academicians, Administrators and villagers from 10 rain shadow area districts
participated in this International Workshop.
The major recommendations of this workshop are as under:
1. Need for a comprehensive cloud seeding Action Plan with latest technical support and
sufficient research components.
2. Immediate starting of Cloud Seeding from 1st July, 2005 onwards.
3. Involving Central Agencies and other related Scientific Institutions for experience
sharing and providing information.
4. Additional research suiting local weather conditions for developing appropriate
technology.
5. To set up a Weather Modification Institute at Hyderabad preferably under Jawaharlal
Nehru Technological University(JNTU) to take up required research programme and
associate JNTU in with the ongoing programme including monitoring and evaluation
6. Organizational support to RSAD Dept., to implement the cloud seeding programme
during the year 2005 with recommendations to have support field Organization with
qualified personnel, Infrastructure and financial backup.
7. In brief the experts who participated in the workshop strongly recommended to the
state Government to continue the cloud seeding operations, using the latest
technology. They also advised to incorporate the research and evaluation component
in the programme.
Cloud Seeding programme 2005:
1. The Government approved the cloud seeding programme 2005 to cover the rain deficit
districts of Ananthpur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool, Mehboobnagar, Rangareddy,
Nalgonda Medak and parts of Prakasham and Nellore districts. An amount of Rs 25.80
crores was sanctioned for the programme.
2. The 2005 cloud seeding plan consists of using 3 aircraft (two pressurized and one
non-pressurized) guided by 2 radar stations at Ananthpur and Ibrahimpatnam. The
programme is for 123 days.
3. A Tender Committee consisting of Commissioner Relief and Disaster Management,
Prl.Secretary (Finance), Director Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Member
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Secretary AP Council of Science and Technology (APCOST) and Secretary RSAD
was constituted to finalise the tenders
4. Governments called for tenders from both the International and national bidders by
putting tender document in web site www.aponline.com and National dailies
5. The Tender Committee after scrutiny of tender proposals recommended to the
Government to award the contract to M/s Agni Aviation Consultants Bangalore
6. The contract has been signed with M/s Agni Aviation Consultant Bangalore on 07-052005. for an amount of Rs 23.60 crores.( Click

here for Contract agreement
).
7. The additional components of the cloud seeding programme 2005 are as under.
a. Use of Low flying aircraft for cloud seeding of warm clouds, which are common
in Indian conditions.
b. Procure research data on cloud physics and related fields so that the in depth
studies of Indian conditions can be made.
c. Involvement of reputed institutions like JNTU and ANGRAU in the programme
for effective monitoring, evaluation and awareness building among the farmers
in the districts.
d. The data available from Radar Stations at Chennai and Machilipatnam of IMD
is proposed to be obtained for additional and effective coverage, which will be
useful for decision making in cloud seeding.
e. Orientation to farmers in the rain deficit districts on the cloud seeding
operations for awareness.
8. The cloud seeding programme started from 21st June 2005 .
9. Government have entrusted the responsibility of monitoring & evaluation of the cloud
seeding programme to Director, Institute of Science & Technology of JNTU. A team
consisting of consultants, retired meteorologists and technical assistants is monitoring
the programme.
10. The protocols for both the warm cloud and cold clouds have been finalized by the
members of technical committee and are being followed for cloud seeding.
11. The performance of the programme with reference to protocols and contract is being
monitored by the Monitoring cell of IST/JNTU.
12. The cloud seeding programme is being critically monitored by the State Level
Monitoring & Evaluation Committee consisting of Minister RSAD and Minister
Agriculture as members along with other officials.
13. A Clearance Committee consisting of Director IST/JNTU, Joint Secretary Finance &
Addl Secretary RSAD scrutinizes all bills submitted by contractor based on the
performance before making payment.
Brief summary of the cloud seeding programme as on 30th September 2005
i.
No.
of
districts
covered:
10
Ananthpur,
Chittoor,
Kadapa,
Kurnool,
Mehboobnagar, Rangareddy, Nalgonda Medak, Prakasham and Nellore.
ii.
No. of flares used
: Hygros 372, BIP 43 and Ejectables 123
iii.
No. of mandals seeded
iv.
No. of mandals under influence zone
:255
v.
Total mandals including under influence zone
:437
vi.
Rainfall recorded in seeded mandals
:182
:2082.4mm
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Click
vii.
Rainfall recorded in influence mandals
viii.
Total rainfall (including influence mandals) :29228.8 mm
ix.
Rainfall attributed due to Cloud Seeding of total at 15%
x.
No. of water (rainfall) samples tested
: 104
xi.
Samples with traces of chemicals
: 90

:27146.4mm
:4384.3mm
here for district wise details of cloud seeding.
BIO-DIESEL PROGRAMME:
Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel made from renewable resources
such as vegetable oils or animal fats. Chemically, it comprises of a mix of mono-alkyl esters
of long chain fatty acids. A lipid transesterification production process is used to convert the
base oil to the desired esters and remove free fatty acids. After this processing, unlike straight
vegetable oil, biodiesel has combustion properties very similar to those of petroleum diesel,
and can replace it in most current uses.
BIO DIESEL PROGRAMME IN ANDHRA PRADESH:
1. Government decided to promote
Jatropha plantations in the Rain Shadow
Areas districts, both under irrigated and rain-fed conditions.
2. The District Collectors with their Project directors District Water management
Agency (DWMA) identified about 16000 hectares covering 15000 farmers.
Details are as under.
a. Under irrigation
7492.94 Hectare and 8007 farmers
b. Under rain fed condition
8221.96 Hectares and 6965 farmers.
3. Government announced the following incentives for the farmers taking up
Jatropha plantations.
a. All required Jatropha seedlings shall be
provided free of cost to all
farmers.
b. 90 % subsidy not exceeding Rs 50000/ per farmers shall be f\given for
installing drip irrigation system to all farmers.
c. Land development works including pit digging, bunding etc shall be [aid
for under the Food for Work and Assigned Land Development
programme for all eligible farmers.
4. 37 MT of seed was procured and 172 lakhs seedlings have been in the 10
districts .
Research & Development on Jatropha
5. To provide systematic research and development support, Government have
sanctioned a Comprehensive R & D Plan for Jatropha. Acharya N.G.Ranga
Agri University (ANGRAU), ICRISAT, CRIDA, NBPGRI, Directorate of OIL
SEED & IICT have been involved in the R&D Plan.
6. Under the R&D Plan, following activities are taken up by ANGRAU and
associated organizations.
a) Collection of germplasm by NBPGRI both from within the State and
outside.
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b) Molecular characterization of Jatropha and multiplication of elite
planting material through issue culture by DOR
c) Evaluation and standardization of agro-techniques by ANGRAU,
CRIDA and ICRISAT.
d) On-station trials at three research stations and on-farm trials @ 10
hectares in each district.
7. Institute wise requirement of funds and releases made during 2005 is as
under:
Institute
Major activity
CRIDA
Germ plasm evaluation
and standardization of
Agro technique on farm
studies
ICRISAT
ANGRAU
Amount
required for
2005
(In lakhs)
Rs 11.7
Amount
released for
2005
(In lakhs)
Rs.22.00
Rs 11.7
Rs 22.00
Rs 15.77
Rs 27.00
NBGRI
Exploration,
Identification &
collection of germplasm
Rs 10.98
Rs 5.00
DOR
Assessing genetic
diversity, culture
establishment and
mass multiplication
Rs 15.72
Rs 10.00
IICT
Study of physicoRs. 32.55
chemical properties, oil
& process development
Rs 12.50
8. An amount of Rs 98.50 lakhs has been released to these scientific institutions
for the R&D work on Jatropha
Click

here for details of farmers and area identified under irrigated and rainfed
conditions for Jatropha plantations.

Click 
Click
here for district wise details of Jatropha seedling raised.
here for latest progress of Jatropha plantations in the districts.
Contact Us: Any information related to various activities of the Department can be
obtained from the following
1. Sri.G.V.Raghavan
Asst Secretary and Asst. Public Information Officer
Room No 222,
1st Floor K Block Secretariat, Hyderabad-22.
Phone No: 23450111 Extn 2949
Mobile:9849908581
Email: secyrsad@yahoo.com
2. M.C.Pargaien.,IFS
Addl. Secretary & Public Information Officer
Room No 221,
Phone No: 23450111 Extn 2947
23450316
Mobile: 9849908580
Email: mpargaien@yahoo.co.in or secyrsad@yahoo.com
2. Sri.V.M.Manohara Prasad.,IAS
Secretary to Government,
Room No.223,
Phone No: 23450111 Extn 2872
6
23450355
Mobile: 9849996327
Email: secy_rsad@ap.gov.in
secyrsad@yahoo.com
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