SINGAPORE: Rumours that cloud seeding is taking place to induce
rain ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix are false, Minister for
Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said.
Addressing a WhatsApp message that has been making the rounds in
Singapore, Dr Balakrishnan posted on Facebook on Thursday (Sep 17):
“The National Environment Agency does not engage in cloud seeding
and has no plans to do so. Singapore is so small that even if
anybody tried to do it, the rain would almost certainly fall
outside Singapore.”
He added: “Singaporeans should beware of malicious people
spreading false rumours during a period when anxieties are
heightened.”
The original WhatsApp message called for people to be wary of
what it claimed were “chemically-induced rain showers”, purportedly
meant to reduce haze levels in light of the coming Formula 1 race,
which will be held on roads in Singapore’s Civic District from Sep
18 to 20.
-- CNA