Factors cause delays of cloud seeding ops cited

The Cloud Seeding Operations (CSOs) team has cited the strict implementation of the new policy to enter at the Bohol Panglao International Airport, absence of the seedable clouds and engine mechanical trouble of the aircraft have caused delays in the operations to the agricultural and watershed areas in Bohol.
According to Leon Parac, Jr., cloud seeding focal person that every time that the CSOs team and vehicle loaded with vacuum salt to be used in the operation would enter at the airport they would undergo the thorough inspections by the members of the Aviation Security Command (AVSECOM) with K-9 dog which can cause delay in the aircraft to fly and sometimes the flights were aborted because the spotted seedable clouds were already dissipated.
Parac said the airport authority must understand the situation because aside from being this is a government project, the time element is very important so as the vacuum salt could be discharge to the seedable clouds in order to produce the artificial rain.
He also disclosed that there were days that no operations had been conducted because due to the absence of the seedable clouds.
Parac further disclosed that also last Thursday, the operations had aborted when the left engine of the RP-C1120 aircraft being used in the operations from the Royhle Airways Chartered Inc., the winning bidder of the 43 hours (hrs.) CSOs had met a mechanical trouble and perhaps today it will be repaired and possibly either tomorrow or on Tuesday the cloud seeding will be resumed.
The cloud seeding focal person bared that since the start of the operation last October 19, 2019 up to last Wednesday there were only 20 sorties had been conducted or only 31 hrs. and 40 minutes were consumed of the 43 hrs. contract.
At start Parac said that the Royhle Airways Chartered Inc. estimated that the operations would be completed on November 30, 2019.
The CSOs worth P2.3M was funded by the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) coursed through for the implementation at the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office (DA-RFO)7 and the Provincial Government of Bohol through the Office of the Agriculturist (OPA) aim to add the water elevations of the four major Dams: Malinao Dam in Pilar, Bayongan in San Miguel, Capayas Dam in Ubay and Zamora Dam in Talibon to save the vegetative and reproductive stages of standing crops as requested by the irrigators and farmers associations in Bohol.
Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Larry M. Pamugas said that the artificial rain produced from the CSOs would not only save the planting rice but also other crops and pasture areas for livestock. (Atoy Cosap)

Caption:
STRICT IMPLEMENTATION CAUSES DELAY. Above photos show how the members of the Aviation Security Command (AVSECOM) at the Bohol Panglao International Airport strictly implement the new policy to undergo inspection to the Cloud Seeding Operation (CSO) team members every time when they enter at the airport to facilitate and conduct the operations which is one of the causes for the delay in the quest to produce artificial rain to the watershed and agricultural areas in Bohol. Photo by LEON PARAC, JR.