Cloud seeding to take place at 5 spots in Delhi based on Met conditions | Latest News Delhi

The cloud seeding trials at five locations in the Capital are expected to be carried out towards the end of this month, however, the spots will be fixed depending on clouds and moisture, officials said on Monday. Lutyens’ Delhi and the area around the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport will be avoided for security reasons, they added.

Infographic explaining the cloud seeding process, the traditional method of artificial rainmaking. (AFP)

Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that improves a cloud’s ability to produce rain, in order to tackle pollution. The trials will take place on separate days. “The idea is to do trials in locations where there are ample clouds and sufficient moisture. Therefore, it is not feasible to fix locations. The five locations will depend on moisture availability and pre-existing cloud formation,” Manindra Agarwal from IIT Kanpur, said. Delhi government has tasked the institution to carry out artificial rain trials.

The Delhi Cabinet on May 7 approved a proposal to conduct five cloud-seeding trials, with a total project outlay of ₹3.21 crore. The trials were announced to be carried out in May-end and early June.

The first trial is set to target a 100-square-kilometre area, however, approvals from 13 central and state bodies will be required. Agarwal said IIT Kanpur will also rely on a weekly forecast to assess the right time for the trial. “We are yet to receive a formal document from the Delhi government, but we are prepared for the trial. We will look at seven-day forecasts, which will tell us the moisture availability expected ahead,” Agarwal said. “They will not be done together, but on different days, to test efficacy,” he added.

An official of the environment department said each trial should last around 90 minutes.

Experts, meanwhile, have long been calling cloud seeding as a “band-aid solution”, asking for funds to be diverted to other pollution control measures instead.

To be sure, this is not the first time artificial rain has been proposed as a measure in the Capital. The former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government had first announced plans in the winter of 2023, but failed to carry out the experiment citing unfavourable meteorological conditions. The same plan was floated last winter, however, the government said it did not receive the Centre’s backing for the plan, including the permissions required for the activity.

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