Cloud Seeding Efforts Underway In Delhi As Scientists Battle Smog

NEW DELHI – Delhi officials said that two attempts to induce artificial rain were made in the capital on October 28 with the help of IIT-Kanpur, and similar efforts shall continue in the coming days.

The experiment for inducing artificial rain comes close to a dip in air quality around Diwali. The Air Quality Index in Delhi and the NCR has remained in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ range across several areas.

Cloud seeding involves adding chemicals like silver iodide nanoparticles, iodized salt, and dry ice to the atmosphere to ‘trick’ the environment into raining. This technique is typically used in areas experiencing water scarcity or to reduce hail and clear fog.

IIT-Kanpur said its plane on October 28 seeded a corridor roughly 25 nautical miles long and four nautical miles wide.

The first round involved six flares released at an altitude of 4,000 feet. The second took off at 3.55 p.m. and deployed eight flares at a slightly higher altitude, around 5,000 feet.

IIT-Kanpur is also trying to test if artificial rain can be induced in clouds with moisture content as low as 20 per cent – usually its 50 per cent. Its Director Manish Agarwal explained that seeding can induce rain within a radius of approximately 100 kilometers, which will significantly reduce air pollution. (IANS)