Delhi artificial rain: Cloud-seeding trial conducted amid poor air quality — what to expect?
Cloud seeding for artificial rains has been conducted in parts of Delhi amid poor air quality in the national capital in the wake of Diwali. It has been done by the Delhi government in association with IIT Kanpur. Here's all you need to know.
The first cloud-seeding trial for artificial rains has been conducted in Delhi amid poor air quality in the national capital in the wake of Diwali. A test flight was conducted in Burari last week.
The trial has been conducted by the Delhi government in association with IIT Kanpur.
The trial, aimed at inducing artificial rain to tackle air pollution in the capital, is part of the Delhi government's strategy to mitigate deteriorating air quality as the winter months approach.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta told reporters, "This is an experiment. Let's see what comes of it. If the experiment is successful, I believe a solution that will be very important for Delhiites will emerge... This is new for all of us, as it's the first time in Delhi. But I pray that this trial is successful and that Delhi benefits from it," as per a report by ANI.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa, the Delhi Environment Minister, said that eight fire flares were released, and the trial lasted for half an hour.
“IIT-Kanpur says rain could happen within 15 minutes to four hours after cloud-seeding trial,” Sirsa also said, as per PTI.
He also revealed that the next trial will be conducted later on Tuesday in the outer parts of the city. Nine to 10 trials are likely to be conducted over the next few days.
How artificial rain works
During the test run conducted in Burari last week, small amounts of silver iodide and sodium chloride were released into the air, but rain could not be induced due to low atmospheric moisture.
Atmospheric moisture of 50% is required for artificial rain.
Silver iodide is added to the clouds at higher altitudes where the temperature is zero degrees. The silver iodide particles keep accumulating ice and water from the clouds till they are heavy and start falling.
As they fall, the ice melts due to rising temperatures and the melted water turns warmer closer to the ground, as per a report by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, accessed by PTI.
Is cloud seeding effective?
A report by the US government's Accountability Office reveals that there is limited evidence across the globe about the effectiveness of cloud seeding, thus posing a challenge in evaluating its effectiveness.
Moreover, these seeding agents, such as silver iodide, which also fall to the earth during artificial rainfall, can pose an environmental hazard.
PTI quoted a 2025 study, which said that "residual silver (from silver iodide) discovered in places near cloud-seeding projects is considered toxic".