Cloud Seeding in Delhi: Can This ₹3 Crore Project Wash Away Deadly Smog?
Delhi Launches Pilot Project for First-Ever Artificial Rain to Tackle Pollution
New Delhi, July 4, 2025 — In a pioneering move, the Delhi government has initiated its first-ever cloud seeding pilot aimed at combating chronic air pollution. This ₹3.21 crore project, spearheaded by IIT‑Kanpur with support from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), aims to induce artificial rain during suitable weather conditions between July 4 and 11, 2025.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa confirmed that five specially equipped Cessna aircraft—each flying over 100 km² for approximately 90 minutes—will disperse a proprietary blend of silver iodide nanoparticles, iodized salt, and rock salt to trigger precipitation Flights will avoid sensitive zones (e.g. Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament), and real-time data on PM2.5 and PM10 levels will be collected via Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS).
This initiative follows the Delhi cabinet’s approval in May and is part of broader pollution-control strategies, including AI-assisted monitoring systems. The IMD will aid by providing forecasts on cloud moisture, wind, and dew point to optimize seeding conditions.
While the pilot represents a bold technological intervention, experts caution that cloud seeding’s effectiveness depends heavily on adequate moisture—an element often lacking during Delhi’s winters—and that any improvements in air quality may be short-lived. Similar concerns suggest this is a temporary remedy rather than a long-term solution, urging policymakers to also address pollution at its source.
As Delhi pioneers this “rain-on-demand” experiment, all eyes will be on its impact—if successful, artificial rain might become a blueprint for other smog-hit urban centres.
