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PART I. OVERVIEW A. Introduction At the request of the Royal Thai Government, an interdisciplinary team of four scientists from the United States visited Thailand from 7-26 September ~ 1986, to conduct a weather modification assessment for the Kingdom of Thailand. This assessment focused on the program of the Royal Rainmaking Research and Development Institute (RRRDI) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the supporting activ'jties of cooperating organiza-. tions. Preparation of the assessment was supported with funds provided by the Emerging Problems of Development Projl!ct II (493-0341) which is jointly administered by the Department of Technical and Economic Cooperation (DTEC) and the United States Agency for Internat'jona1 Development (USAID). Preparation of the assessment was coordinated by the Bureau of Reclamation, United States Department of the Interior, through a Participating Agency Services Agreement with USAID. The services of Professor Changnon were made available through the cooperation of the State of Illinois and those of Dr. F1ueck through the University of Colorado. This assessment is intended to provide thl! reader,with an understanding of the potential role of scientifically-based weather modification in water resources management in the Kingdom of Thailand. It should be noted that operational weather modification programs have been conducted continuously over the past 15 years in nearly all inhabited areas of Thailand. The growing and competing needs for water, coupled with recurrent drought on a regional scale, have led to continued Tha'j interest in applying scientifi- cally-based weather modification as a means of adding more water to their sophisticated water management system. While weather modification will not eliminate the phenomenon of drought, the team believes it can increase natural precipitation and help meet current and future water resources requirements. The weather modification program described in this assessment has the dual objectives of providing some limited relief in drought situations and designing a potential 10ng-tenm program through the conduct of a scientifically-planned series of technica" and economic feasibility stu- dies. The team recognizes the critical role that evaluation plays in the development and implementation of technically-sound and cost-effective programs and has recommended a major evaluation component. The team has emphasized the need for development and innplementation of professionally responsible suspension criteria to ensure the avoidance of inadvertent out- comes from cloud seeding operations such as floods or extreme weather events and their effects on the safety of citizens, property, and the sta- ~ bility of the environment. It must be recognized that the successful implementation of the program ~ will require a serious 10ng-tenm commitment of personnel, equipment, and financial resources to meet both capital and recurrent costs by the Royal Thai Government. In addition, it must be recognized that without a strong management system to coordinate the activities of a number of cooperating 1