Fresh cloud-seeding trial likely over Delhi in coming days

A fresh round of cloud-seeding trials is likely to be conducted over the national capital Delhi in the next few days, with the team from IIT Kanpur ready to carry out the operation, officials associated with the exercise said.

However, the timing of the trial will depend on meteorological conditions, particularly the moisture content in the clouds, they said.

“We are ready to go. Everything is set up. However, we can only do the trial when the moisture content is high in the clouds. If meteorological conditions suit, then we will immediately draw out a flight path and leave,” an official associated with the operation said.

The proposed exercise is aimed at exploring the potential of cloud-seeding as a measure to induce rainfall and help tackle the national capital’s pollution crisis.

This will not be Delhi’s first experience with the weather-modification technique.

On October 28, 2025, the Delhi government conducted two back-to-back cloud-seeding trials, during which a small aircraft was flown over parts of the city and released silver iodide and sodium chloride particles through chemical flares.

Cloud-seeding is a weather-modification technique that involves introducing substances such as silver iodide into suitable clouds to trigger microphysical processes that encourage the formation of ice crystals or water droplets, potentially enhancing rainfall.

However, the previous experiment yielded little to no rainfall over Delhi and neighbouring areas, with experts questioning its effectiveness.

In recent days, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has said that IIT Kanpur has been conducting studies and trials in preparation for the proposed cloud-seeding exercise.