Delhi conducts cloud seeding trials after 53 years, but no trace of rain till evening

After a gap of 53 years, Delhi conducted cloud seeding trials on Tuesday to induce artificial rain in the national capital amid surging pollution levels, even as the weather department did not record any traces of rain till evening.

The Delhi government, in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur, conducted the trials in parts of Delhi, including Burari, north Karol Bagh, Mayur Vihar, and Badli, with more such exercises planned over the next few days, Environment Minister Manjinder Sirsa said.

Environmentalists, however, termed the cloud-seeding trial a short-term measure, saying it may temporarily reduce pollution but fails to address the root causes of the capital's deteriorating air quality.

The opposition AAP mocked the exercise, calling it a tactic to "steal Lord Indra's (rain god's) credit", even as the BJP hailed the move to tackle the pollution crisis.

The first trial was completed by 2 pm on Tuesday and for the second trial, the flight took off from Meerut around 4 pm and completed the trial in an hour.

Soon after the first trial, Sirsa said IIT Kanpur has said that rain could happen within 15 minutes to four hours after the exercise.

"However, the rain won't be heavy since the humidity levels were only at 15 to 20 per cent," the minister said.

However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data show there was no rain recorded in Delhi till 5.30 pm.

Detailing how the exercise was carried out, Sirsa said the Cessna aircraft took off from Kanpur, adding that it released eight fire flares each weighing 2 to 2.5 kilograms and the trial lasted for half an hour.

Each flare lasted for two to two-and-a-half minutes, he said.

"The clouds had a humidity of 15 to 20 per cent. The flares were released for 17 to 18 minutes," Sirsa said.

According to officials, during the trial, silver iodide and sodium chloride compounds were released from the aircraft to induce artificial rain.

They said the expected timeline for rainfall ranges from 15 minutes to 24 hours, depending on weather conditions, and there can be rain later in the night.

The second trial was also conducted later in the day in outer Delhi and covered areas like Badli. Eight flares were fired during the exercise.

Nine to 10 such trials are planned over the next few days, Sirsa said, adding that since the IMD has informed that the wind direction is towards north, areas falling under that region are being targeted.

"This is a huge step taken by the government to mitigate pollution. If trials are successful, we will prepare a long-term plan till February. We hope that if this is successful, it will be a first such scientific step in India to reduce pollution," he added.