The Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli inaugurated on Tuesday the first phase of the cloud seeding operations program in the airspace of the regions of Riyadh, Qassim and Hail. The artificial seeding program is being done due to the fact that Saudi Arabia is considered as one of the driest countries in the world, as well as to the fact that it does not contain permanent water bodies such as rivers and lakes. The Kingdom, through the program, will enhance and contribute to an adjustment of its weather by increasing the rainfall rate from the current rate, which does not exceed 100 mm annually. The CEO of the NCM and supervisor of the cloud seeding program Dr. Ayman Ghulam has confirmed that the first flight that was carried out in the Riyadh region was successful, achieving the desired goals in terms of the success of the seeding process and its time. Experts are currently working on studying the research and the scientific framework in order to benefit from the outputs in the scheduled seeding operations, Ghulam said, noting that the NCM will issue periodic reports for the program"s operations progress. Additionally, a round-the-clock operating room has been established and equipped with the most accurate meteorological techniques and precise radars, in addition to the presence of several international scientists and experts who have experience in the field of cloud seeding and technical and logistical support, he added. Ghulam said that the presence of experts aims to monitor the clouds as well as determine the sites of cloud seeding, in order to help the designated aircraft to sow the stimulating materials in specific places of the clouds to stimulate the process of precipitation on the targeted areas to increase the amount of rain. The designated aircraft sow environmentally friendly stimulating materials, Ghulam pointed out. He emphasized that the program includes research studies and an evaluation of the experiences, in addition to localization and transfer of knowledge for rain seeding in Saudi Arabia. The second phase of the artificial seeding program will include the Asir, Al-Baha and Taif regions, he said.