Delhi to conduct first cloud seeding trial today to tackle air pollution

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Tuesday the first cloud seeding trial will be conducted in the capital today after the aircraft equipped to carry out the exercise arrives from Kanpur once visibility improves there.

Speaking to PTI, the minister said the visibility in Kanpur is currently at 2,000 metres and once it reaches 5,000 metres, the plane will take off for the trial.

"The flight will arrive in Delhi once the visibility improves (in Kanpur). The cloud seeding trial will be conducted today," he told PTI Videos.

Sirsa, Culture Minister Kapil Mishra, and Social Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj accompanied Chief Minister Rekha Gupta as she offered 'Argyha' to the rising Sun on the concluding day of Chhath at the ITO Ghat on Tuesday morning.

"The festival was celebrated with much grandeur. Yesterday, our chief minister prayed to the setting Sun and today she sought blessings from the rising Sun for Delhi's progress," Sirsa said.

The minister also lashed out at the AAP for "spreading negativity" during festivities. "For the last three days, AAP is spreading negativity. They should have participated in the festivities. May Chhathi Maiya give them good sense," he said.

The trial, aimed at inducing artificial rain to tackle air pollution in the capital, is part of the Delhi government's broader strategy to mitigate deteriorating air quality during the winter months. Preparations for the much-awaited cloud seeding experiment are now complete, with the government conducting a test flight over Burari last week. During the test run, small quantities of silver iodide and sodium chloride compounds used to trigger artificial rain were released from the aircraft. However, due to low atmospheric moisture of less than 20 per cent, as against the 50 per cent typically required for cloud seeding, rainfall could not be induced.

Last week, Chief Minister Gupta said the India Meteorological Department had indicated the possibility of suitable cloud formations between October 28 and October 30. "If conditions remain favourable, Delhi may witness its first artificial rain on October 29," Gupta said in a post on X last Thursday.

The Delhi government signed a memorandum of understanding with IIT Kanpur on September 25 to carry out five cloud seeding trials, all of which are planned in northwest Delhi. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation earlier granted permission to IIT Kanpur to conduct the trials any time between October 1 and November 30. Clearances have also been secured from more than 10 central and state departments, including the Union ministries of environment, defence and home, the Uttar Pradesh government, the Airports Authority of India, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, among others.

The Delhi Cabinet on May 7 approved a proposal to conduct five cloud seeding trials at a total cost of Rs 3.21 crore. However, the exercise faced multiple postponements due to unfavourable weather and monsoon conditions, including deadlines set for May-end, early June, August, September and, most recently, the second week of October.