But because of shortages across the continent, the Tibetan plateau is also seen as a potential flashpoint as Asian nations struggle to secure control over freshwater resources.
Despite the large volume of water-rich air currents that pass over the plateau each day, the plateau is one of the driest places on Earth. Most areas receive less than 10cm of rain a year. An area that sees less than 25cm of rain annually is defined as a desert by the US Geological Survey.
Rain is formed when moist air cools and collides with particles floating in the atmosphere, creating heavy water droplets.
Resource-hungry China is in overdrive as it wages water wars by stealth
The silver iodide produced by the burning chambers will provide the particles required to form rain.
Radar data showed that a gentle breeze could carry the cloud-seeding particles more than 1,000 metres above the mountain peaks, according to the researcher.
A single chamber can form a strip of thick clouds stretching across more than 5km.
Sometimes snow would start falling almost immediately after we ignited the chamber. It was like standing on the stage of a magic show, he said.
The technology was initially developed as part of the Chinese militarys weather modification programme.
China and other countries, including Russia and the United States, have been researching ways to trigger natural disasters such as floods, droughts and tornadoes to weaken their enemies in the event of severe conflict.
Efforts to employ the defence technology for civilian use began over a decade ago, the researcher said.
One of the biggest challenges the rainmakers faced was finding a way to keep the chambers operating in one of the worlds most remote and hostile environments.
In our early trials, the flame often extinguished midway [because of the lack of oxygen in the area], the researcher said.
But now, after several improvements to the design, the chambers should be able to operate in a near-vacuum for months, or even years, without requiring maintenance.
China diverts 10 billion cubic metres of water to arid north
They also burn fuel as cleanly and efficiently as rocket engines, releasing only vapours and carbon dioxide, which makes them suitable for use even in environmentally protected areas.
Communications and other electronic equipment is powered by solar energy and the chambers can be operated by a smart phone app thousands of kilometres away for through the satellite forecasting system.
The chambers have one clear advantage over other cloud-seeding methods such as using planes, cannons and drones to blast silver iodide into the atmosphere.
Other methods requires the establishment of a no-fly zone. This can be time-consuming and troublesome in any country, especially China, the researcher said.
One of the chambers in operation in Xinjiang autonomous region. The ground-based network also comes at a relatively low price each burning unit costs about 50,000 yuan (US$8,000) to build and install. Costs are likely to drop further due to mass production.
In comparison, a cloud-seeding plane costs several million yuan and covers a smaller area.
One downside of the burning chambers, however, is that they will not work in the absence of wind or when the wind is blowing the wrong direction.
This month, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation signed an agreement with Tsinghua University and Qinghai province to set up a large-scale weather modification system on the Tibetan plateau.
In 2016 researchers from Tsinghua, Chinas leading research university, first proposed a project named Tianhe or Sky River to increase the water supply in Chinas arid northern regions by manipulating the climate.
The project aims to intercept the water vapour carried by the Indian monsoon over the Tibetan plateau and redistribute it in the northern regions to increase the water supply there by five to 10 billion cubic metres a year.
Chinese engineers plan 1,000km tunnel to make Xinjiang desert bloom
The aerospace corporations president, Lei Fanpei, said in a speech that Chinas space industry would integrate its weather modification programme with Tsinghuas Sky River project.
[Modifying the weather in Tibet] is a critical innovation to solve Chinas water shortage problem, Lei said. It will make an important contribution not only to Chinas development and world prosperity, but also the well being of the entire human race.
Tsinghua president Qiu Yong said the agreement signalled the central governments determination to apply cutting-edge military technology in civilian sectors. The technology will significantly spur development in Chinas western regions, he added.
The contents of the agreement are being kept confidential as it contains sensitive information that the authorities have deemed unsuitable to be revealed at the moment, a Tsinghua professor with knowledge of the deal told the Post.
Scientists at Tsinghua University in Beijing first devised the plan for the Sky River. Climate simulations show that the Tibetan plateau is likely to experience a severe drought over the coming decades as natural rainfall fails to replenish the water lost as a result of rising temperatures.
The satellite network and weather modification measures are to make preparations for the worst-case scenario, the Tsinghua researcher said.
The exact scale and launch date for the programme has not been fixed as it is pending final approval from the central government, he said.
Debate is also ongoing within the project team over the best approach for the project, he added. While some favour the use of the chambers, others prefer cloud-seeding planes as they have a smaller environmental footprint.
Spring is coming earlier to the Tibetan plateau and it could affect the lives of millions
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Problem is it may have worked too well.Record rains in the Yangtze River has created a flooding episode for many miles and may yet threaten the Three Gorges Dam.The dam the largest hydroelectric plant in the world producing all kind s of electricity for millions is in real danger of collapsing.The big question of course is when.
If it collapses and most familiar with the dam suggest “when not if” the downstream destruction is almost indescribable. Some of it is already happening with major water releases now occurring at the three gorges.Wuhan city with 12 million people has feet of water in it and has for over a month.
Other cities like shanghai are also threatened.
The disaster when it happens is described as 911 X 20.
Not always wise to fool with mother nature.....
With all the criminality, crime,theft,deception,murder,imprisonment and yo name it caused by the chicoms few are surprised that this event is happening.What goes around.....
++++!
It’s not NICE to fool Mother Nature..”
Some were discussing whether the Chinese were allowing this in order to inundate Wuhan City to destroy the lab that created the virus, and the argument was why do that when a fire would be so much easier. They may be right but your article made me think about 2001 when the Texas Medical Center got flooded out it killed all of Baylor College of Medicine’s research animals (because they were located underground) and set a lot of projects back a long long way. So fire is great and all, but for completely destroying everything floodwater is very effective. I’m just saying.