ABU DHABI: It is estimated that nearly three billion people across the globe are currently affected by water shortages. The dramatic scale of the problem is underscored by the fact that one out of six people in the world today does not have regular access to clean drinking water.

As one of the many potential answers to this pressing sustainability challenge, the UAE has launched an initiative that stands out for its unique and innovative approach to enhancing water security.

The UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science, launched under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, offers a US$5 million grant to encourage scientists and researchers to explore new horizons in developing rain enhancement science and technology.

Due to the success of the Programme, its First Cycle Awardees are already carrying out ground-breaking work on precipitation enhancement in arid regions and beyond, the use of nanotechnology to accelerate water condensation, and cloud seeding optimisation based on the study of convergence zones and land cover modification to enhance precipitation.

2017 has also seen the launch of three other projects employing creative approaches to the study of weather-related phenomena and methods of enhancing rainfall.

One of these is being led by Dr Paul Lawson, who founded SPEC, a company that manufactures state-of-the-art airborne cloud physics instruments, in 1979, and is renowned for his participation in over 50 international research projects related to weather phenomena.

WAM