Delhi may witness artificial rain in 2-3 days as city’s air turns toxic

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Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Wednesday announced that, if weather conditions are favourable, the government plans to carry out cloud seeding or artificial rainfall within the next two to three days.

According to a report by NDTV, the decision comes a day after the Commission for Air Quality Management enforced curbs under the phase one of the graded response action plan (GRAP-1).

Forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicate the situation is unlikely to improve in the coming days, raising alarm as pollution levels typically spike around the festive season.

Amid the situation, the Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted the sale and use of green crackers on Diwali, aiming to balance pollution control with festive celebrations.

Delhi’s air quality 'very poor', five stations record AQI above 300

The five monitoring stations in Delhi recorded air quality in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday, with AQI levels soaring above 300. Delhi has 40 air quality monitoring stations, of which data from 38 were available.

Among these, the Air Quality Index (AQI) at five stations fell into the 'very poor' category, with Anand Vihar recording the highest AQI at 345, followed by DU North Campus (307), CRRI Mathura Road (307), Dwarka Sector 8 (314) and Wazirpur (325), according to the data.

Trial depends on weather and approvals

Sirsa was quoted as saying that pilot training for cloud seeding has been completed. "If the weather conditions are apt in the coming two to three days, then with the IMD's approval, the government will conduct the exercise for three hours," Sirsa said.

"We are happy to inform you that even with over-aged vehicles on road...we were able to get clear skies for most number of days this year," he added.

What is cloud seeding
Cloud seeding is the process of adding special substances like silver iodide and dry ice to clouds to make it rain or snow in areas experiencing water scarcity, less snowfall, or to reduce hail and clear fog. It can be done using airplanes, rockets, or machines on the ground.

The formulation, developed by IIT Kanpur, includes silver iodide nanoparticles, iodised salt, and rock salt.