Heavy rain and hail hit the capital of Madagascar on Friday. The weather conditions surprised the inhabitants of Antananarivo – the rainfall occurred during a dry period, long before the beginning of the rainy season. The phenomenon had a rather unusual explanation.
On Friday afternoon, it began to rain heavily over Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. The rain quickly flooded the streets and the accompanying hail caused significant property damage. The sudden deterioration of the weather surprised the inhabitants – a heat wave has been over the city for weeks and there is no rain, and the rainy season has not started yet.
Problems with electricity supply
Some were convinced that the change in weather was related to storm tropical Bheki that moves across the Indian Ocean, bringing rain to the islands of Rodrigues, Reunion and Mauritius. The solution to the mystery was provided by the Madagascar water and electricity management company JIRAMA, which on Saturday stated that the rain was artificially caused.
– Yesterday, the operation to create artificial rain began – the company announced on Facebook. – We used advanced technology to create artificial clouds and artificial rain. This is what we managed to achieve today and we will do it tomorrow, it added.
JIRAMA engineers wanted to raise the water level in the reservoir of the Andekaleka power plant so that it could produce more electricity. Due to long-term drought, the capital of Madagascar has been experiencing repeated interruptions in electricity supplies for several months. Madagascar is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, as changing weather patterns bring more periods of drought and unpredictable rainy seasons.
An entry informing about the production of artificial rainfacebook.com/@jiramaofisialy
PAP, Madagascar-Tribune.com
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