Delhi artificial rain: Trial postponed to August-end - 'Monsoon not suitable for trial'

Dark clouds seen in the sky before heavy rains in New Delhi. (Representative image)

The Delhi government has postponed its maiden cloud seeding project to late August, citing active monsoon conditions that are currently unsuitable for the experiment. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa confirmed the delay on Tuesday, stating the trials will now take place between August 30 and September 10 after consultations with meteorological experts.

As per HT, the project was originally scheduled for July 4-11, but the decision was revised following inputs from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), IIT-Kanpur and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, which indicated that early July’s weather would not yield optimal results. “Cloud seeding trials will be conducted after the monsoon starts to recede. This revised window will allow us to target the right type of clouds and collect accurate scientific data,” Sirsa said at a press briefing, quoting Professor Deepu Philip of IIT-Kanpur, the lead institution on the project.

The Rs 3.21 crore pilot project will involve five sorties using a Cessna 206-H aircraft (VT-IIT), equipped with cloud-seeding instruments. The flights will cover north Delhi areas like Rohini, Bawana, Alipur and Burari, as well as parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Loni and Baghpat. The aircraft will release hygroscopic particles (a mix of silver iodide, iodised salt and rock salt) below cloud bases to stimulate rain formation, aiding in pollutant washout, HT reported.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has approved the project, with strict adherence to safety protocols. “Aircraft will not fly over prohibited areas and no aerial photography will be conducted during the mission,” HT cited Sirsa as clarifying.

The ongoing monsoon rains were deemed unfavourable for seeding, as they could dilute the experiment’s effectiveness. “The ongoing rains are not ideal for seeding and may not yield meaningful results,” the minister explained, quoted TNIE. Post-monsoon clouds are expected to be more receptive to the process.

Real-time IMD data will guide flight timings, while air quality measurements will track changes in PM2.5 and PM10 levels post-seeding. The initiative follows similar efforts in Mumbai, Bengaluru and countries like the UAE and China, where cloud seeding has been used to combat drought or pollution.