SHIMLA: A high-level team from IIT Bombay and DRDO, Pune  inspected the anti-hail gun system at Sheelghat, Mandhol in Jubbal area of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh on July 13-14. But the Sukhu Government  has yet to take a call on the antihail gun system. 

Taking cognizance of the HimbuMail story on the antihail gun system(see  Link), team  air-dashed here on July 13  and  assessed its performance.

The team got data from the site following the unexpected failure during the severe hailstorm on May 10, 2024.

Despite the anti-hail gun's consistent performance over the last three years,  May 10  storm overwhelmed the system, causing damage to apple orchards in the region. But many farmers have installed anti-hail nets and were saved.

The inspection revealed that the anti-hail gun, which operates by firing shockwaves to disrupt hail cloud formation, has been effective in reducing hail damage for most of its operational period.

However, extreme weather conditions on May 10 led to its failure. The storm was an extreme rare weather event formed   above Kharapathar  from all sides that day.

The gun works straight up vertically, not horizontally. "But yes, we are working on option to make a rotational gun in the near future as technology advances", the scientists said.  

The team was led by Professor Sudarshan Kumar, Institute chair professor,  Aerospace Engineering Department, IIT Bombay and Dr.  AP Das, Director, HEMR Lab, DRDO Pune. 

They said  there is a need for a comprehensive grid system of anti-hail guns, strategically placed in key locations in the apple belt. 

This can be done once we do  a thorough survey of hail-prone areas, to provide robust protection to the apple crop, Dr Kumar said. "We are planning to do the survey with the help of UHF Nauni, he added. 

"We are also looking into the data as to what kind of damage was done in area outside the radius of the gun".  "The department of environment UHF Nauni  can do environmental study". 

The anti-hail system covers area in one km radius or so  from the gun.  The single anti-hail gun will not give proper results.

So the grid of anti-hail guns is the solution for the farmers from the hail storms that will obviate the need for installing anti-hail nets, they asserted. 

In Europe, the anti-hail suppression system is  trusted use to protect the grape crop  giving huge benefits to the farmers there , said Dr Kumar.  The system creates only waves  not air pollution. The noise level is upto 100 decibel  ne to 110 decibel, he added. 

They  said  the anti-hail nets are not long lasting and can also create plastic pollution once these are rendered useless.

They can last for five to 10 years and involve lot of labour cost for installation every year, Dr Kumar said. 

Except noise from shockwaves and blast, anti-hail guns, on the other hand, does not create environmental problem as such, claimed Dr Kumar.      

This indigenous system is developed by IIT Bombay in collaboration with DRDO,  ISRO, IMD, and the Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry. It uses LPG gas instead of the more expensive and difficult-to-transport acetylene used in European systems.

The cost-effective Indian version, priced at around Rs 31 lakh, is significantly cheaper than imported systems and operates on easily available LPG cylinders.

Prof. Kumar said the gun features a detonation tube, convergent-divergent duct, and diverging nozzle, making it more affordable for farmers compared to imported versions costing over 70 lakhs. 

However, the team acknowledged challenges. The project needs funding and  the enhanced weather monitoring through radar systems to optimize the timing of gun operations, said Dr Sudershan.

While the anti-hail guns have shown promise, the government’s support in funding and expanding the system is crucial for its success.

Will the Sukhu government take a call on this?  Or it will resort to politics.

Let us see how it unfolds as IIT-DRDO team are confident of providing the cheap alternative for protection of apple and other cash crops from hail storms.  

Comments: 

Environmental study is must  as majority opinion of the farmers are that anti hail gun disrupts  rains in and around the site: Rajinder Chauhan, a farmer from Kotkhai.