Delhi’s First Cloud Seeding Test Completed; Rs 64 Lakh Spent on Artificial Rain Trial

New Delhi: To deal with air pollution in the country's capital, Delhi, the use of artificial rain has been started after 50 years. On Tuesday, the team from IIT Kanpur flew a Cessna 206H aircraft from Kanpur airstrip as part of the process of cloud seeding. This pilot project was in preparation for a long time and was finally executed when the weather became favorable.

What is cloud seeding technology?

Cloud seeding is a scientific process of creating artificial rain. In this, certain types of salts, such as sodium chloride or silver iodide, are released inside the clouds. These salts help convert water vapor into droplets. When there is more moisture in the clouds but it is not raining, then this method is used so that rain can fall from the clouds. Its main objective is to increase the possibility of rain.

When and how did this experiment happen?

This plan of artificial rain in Delhi was postponed several times because there were no clouds in the sky. On Tuesday, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that there is a possibility of cloudy skies in Delhi. As soon as the weather became favorable, the IIT Kanpur team decided to take off. Around noon, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the plane has taken off from Kanpur and as soon as it reaches the skies of Meerut, artificial rain will be started. Initially the weather in Kanpur was not clear, but when the visibility improved to about 5,000 meters, then the plane took off. That is, after 50 years, when the weather was right, efforts for artificial rain finally started in Delhi.

Why was there a need for artificial rain?

Delhi's air has reached very poor levels for the last several days. The Air Quality Index (AQI) continues to remain in the hazardous zone. The layer of dust, smoke and toxic particles in the city's air has become so dense that it has become difficult for people to breathe. The Delhi government took several steps to reduce pollution—such as installing smog towers, sprinkling water on the roads and controlling the movement of vehicles—but the effect of these measures was very limited. That is why the government has now resorted to cloud seeding, i.e., artificial rain. Through this experiment, it is expected that the pollutant particles present in the air will fall down with the rain and the air of the capital will be cleaned to some extent.

Who is holding whom responsible?

Political turmoil has also started regarding the poisonous air of Delhi.
BJP says that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab government did not stop farmers from burning stubble, due to which Delhi's air became poisonous. At the same time, both AAP and Congress hit back, saying that the Rekha Gupta government (BJP) of Delhi is presenting wrong data regarding air quality. They allege that anti-smog water sprinklers are being run only near certain weather stations so that the AQI figures look “better.” That is, an attempt is being made to make the air appear clean, not to actually clean it. A question is also being raised in politics whether scientific efforts like artificial rain will be able to become a permanent solution to Delhi's pollution problem, or will they prove to be just a temporary relief step?

What will happen next?

If this trial is successful, then in the coming days this technology can be used in other polluted cities of the country, including Delhi. The team of IIT Kanpur believes that this pilot project can prove to be a major scientific initiative towards reducing air pollution.