Drought had spread throughout the region despite the cloud masses in the sky. His Majesty also discovered that many localities had encountered problems characteristic of dryland areas, most importantly shortages of water for consumption and farming. Particularly in the growing season, farmers had faced difficulty because dry spells would occur during critical cropping periods. If water were unavailable during that period, crops would fail or be damaged. Whenever a dry spell happened, usually each year, it would cause huge economic losses to farmers. In addition, industrial, agricultural and population growth had sharply increased demand for water for consumption. One clue to the problems was a shocking decrease in the level of water in Bhumibol Dam.
His Majesty kindly advised senior officials in rainmaking technology, including Mr. Sumet Tantivejkul, Mr. Manoon Mukpradit and Mr. Phimolsak Suvarnathat of the Office of the Royal Development Projects Boards on 17 March 1986 at Chitralada Villa Royal Residence.
“…Artificial rainmaking was started in 1955, but not much was done. At that time I went to the northeast during the dry season, in November. The place I visited was cloudy, while the northeast is a dry region, so I thought of two things. Firstly, check dams must be built. This thought came to me on the way from Nakhon Phanom passing Sakon Nakhon to Kalasin. We had a stop at Sahatsakhan District to visit people. It was dry and dusty…
“At that time I looked up at the sky and saw that there were many clouds. Now what can be done to make these clouds precipitate as rain in the locality. I used to hear about artificial rainmaking, so I talked to M.R. Debriddhi about how rain could be made. I used to read from a book that it can be made…”
That was the beginning of royal rainmaking in Thailand which His Majesty himself initiated.
With the far-sighted vision and intelligence characteristic of a scientist, His Majesty had analyzed primary information that he had observed before discussing his ideas for rainmaking with M.R. Debriddhi Devakul. His Majesty would experiment with rainmaking methods, applying contemporary technology with the available resources.
His Majesty was confident that the country’s climate and geography would ensure the success of the project. As water is essential to human and animal life and agriculture, shortages of water thus affect the entire scope of national economic and social development. His Majesty himself once asserted that “water is life.”
Even though Thailand had gone to great lengths to solve water shortages by developing all kinds of existing water resources, they were known to be insufficient to meet the demands of the Thai population. Over 82 per cent of agricultural lands still had to rely on rainwater. His Majesty thought certain measures should be taken before the problems got out of hand. His Majesty thus consulted with M.L. Dej Sanitwongse in 1956 about which techniques or scientific methods could best be used to modify the weather so that clouds would form and precipitate rainfall in targeted areas. His Majesty’s royal initiative was implemented with the cooperation of three royal relatives: M.L. Dej Sanitwongse, H.H. Prince Chakrabandh Pensiri and M.R. Debriddhi Devakul. They studied and applied the rainmaking techniques of other countries with Thailand’s climate. Royal rainmaking or artificial rain was thus the product of academic research in countries such as the United States, Australia and Israel, along with the royal advice of His Majesty the King. In the meantime, the Office of Rainmaking Operations was established. During the first phase, there was very little information or evidence to confirm results, and the academic credibility remained low since Thailand had no expertise in weather modification. His Majesty the King was the one who followed up on progress and planned the experiments by closely studying reports from each operation.
Thai rainmaking debuted on 20 July 1969, the first actual rainmaking operation in the atmosphere. His Majesty had arranged for this experiment to be done at Khao Yai National Park in Pak Chong District of Nakhon Ratchasima Province. The operation was performed by dispensing “dry ice” flakes over the top of existing cumulus clouds in the sky. After 15 minutes of seeding, the cumulus became enlarged, its color turning from white to gray at its base. The experiment yielded satisfying results with strong evidence showing that a reasonable amount of rain had fallen, but still it had not been controlled enough to fall over the targeted catchments. His Majesty continued to give advice, such as which areas to use as experimental sites. Initially, the rainmaking operations encountered many difficulties and obstacles. The most important factor is weather conditions that will permit the desired precipitation. That includes the appearance of clouds with the potential to become rain. Such a cloud looks like fleece or