Delhi is poised to conduct its first-ever cloud seeding pilot project between July 4 and 11, pending final clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The initiative aims to combat air pollution by inducing artificial rain.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced the cloud seeding trial, emphasizing the government's commitment to providing clean air for Delhi residents. He stated that the government is exploring every possible solution to achieve this goal and is hopeful that this step will bring meaningful change.
The cloud seeding project, officially titled 'Technology Demonstration and Evaluation of Cloud Seeding as an Alternative for Delhi NCR Pollution Mitigation', has been approved with a budget of ₹3.21 crore. The Delhi Cabinet cleared the proposal on May 7, with IIT Kanpur leading the scientific implementation. IIT Kanpur has submitted the flight plan for technical coordination to IMD Pune. The project involves five aircraft sorties over low-security air zones in northwest and outer Delhi. Each sortie will last approximately 90 minutes and cover around 100 square kilometers. Modified Cessna aircraft will disperse a scientifically formulated seeding mixture using flare-based systems. The formulation, developed by IIT Kanpur, includes silver iodide nanoparticles, iodised salt, and rock salt, designed to catalyse artificial rain by accelerating droplet formation in moisture-rich clouds. The precise mix will vary based on real-time weather parameters, especially humidity and vertical cloud development.
Flights will take off from Hindon Airforce Station in Ghaziabad, for which permission has already been secured from the Union Ministry of Defence. According to Sirsa, Delhi has secured nearly all necessary permissions, with the final DGCA clearance awaited. The agencies involved in the project include the Special Protection Group (SPG), IMD, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Union ministries of defence, environment, and home, along with the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
The Environment Minister stated that conditions are not suitable for cloud seeding until July 3, but a flight window has been proposed between July 4 and 11. A proposal has also been sent to the DGCA, requesting an alternative window in case the weather remains unfavorable during the scheduled period so that the trial can be conducted at a later date. The final decision on flight dates will be made daily, depending on conditions.
Distinguishing seeded rain from natural precipitation will be challenging, as Delhi should already be in the monsoon season by then. An IIT Kanpur official noted that suitable moisture is needed for the exercise -- around 50% moisture in the air and low-lying clouds. While they cannot definitively confirm whether the rain was natural or through cloud seeding, a correlation can be drawn.
This is not the first time artificial rain has been proposed as a measure in Delhi. The previous government led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) first floated the plan in the winter of 2023 but failed to carry out the experiment due to unfavorable meteorological conditions. The same plan was floated last winter. AAP's Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the idea behind conducting cloud seeding trials during the monsoon. Sirsa clarified that the current government was the one who signed the MoU first, made all the payments to IIT Kanpur, and applied for the necessary approvals.
