Delhi to conduct cloud seeding trials in September to combat air pollution: Environment minister

Delhi will witness its first cloud seeding trial in the first two weeks of September in a bid to trigger artificial rain and reduce air pollution levels, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Friday.

The trials, earlier planned for early July, were postponed after inputs from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), IIT-Kanpur, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, indicated that weather conditions in July were not conducive for effective seeding.

The revised window was chosen to coincide with the retreating monsoon, which offers more suitable cloud conditions.

The Delhi government has allocated Rs 3.21 crore for this pilot project, which is being led by the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT-Kanpur.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted operational clearance for the trials. The aircraft has been equipped with cloud seeding instrumentation, and its crew holds all the required licenses and certifications.

Sirsa clarified that the aircraft will avoid prohibited areas and no aerial photography will be conducted during the operation in strict adherence to aviation safety norms.

“We have taken all the necessary permissions, and the aircraft is fully ready. The cloud seeding will now take place in the first and second week of September,” the minister said, adding that “the instrumentation work on the aircraft has been completed by IIT-Kanpur, and we are fully prepared.”

The trials, which will be conducted using a Cessna 206-H aircraft (VT-IIT), will consist of five sorties over pollution-prone regions in north Delhi, including Rohini, Bawana, Alipur, and Burari, as well as parts of adjoining Uttar Pradesh, such as Loni and Baghpat.

During the sorties, the aircraft will fly below the cloud base and release hygroscopic particles — such as sodium chloride and other aerosols — into the clouds to stimulate precipitation. This weather modification technique is aimed at inducing artificial rain that could help wash out airborne pollutants.

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“This is a scientific intervention to combat air pollution. If successful, it will open a new avenue for Delhi to deal with hazardous air quality, especially during the post-monsoon period,” Sirsa said.