Delhi is getting closer to implementing its long-awaited plan to create artificial rain. Delhi’s first cloud seeding trial is likely after Diwali, according to Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, subject to final approval from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). Sirsa informed the reporters at a briefing that all preparations for the operation, including pilot training and aircraft preparation, are complete. In partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, the project aims to reduce wintertime pollution and smog. The team is “fully ready,” according to the minister, and is just awaiting favorable weather and IMD approval.

Project Readiness and Implementation Plan

Delhi has finished all of the preparations for its initial cloud seeding initiative. To promote rainfall and potentially remove dust and smog from the city’s environment, the procedure involves releasing silver iodide or other particles into clouds. IMD‘s evaluation of the cloud conditions in the days after Diwali will now determine the final approval.

• Cloud seeding technology has been properly installed on the aircraft assigned to the operation. Pilots have already flown test flights over the operation’s target region, northwest Delhi.
• According to the Environment Minister, “Everything is in place, including pilot training and authorization.” Pilots have prepared by flying over the target areas while equipped with cloud seeding equipment. “We are currently only awaiting approval from the IMD,” they said.
• Depending on the presence of suitable cloud formations, the testing is expected to occur the day after Diwali or shortly thereafter.
• Due to the monsoon, fluctuating weather patterns, and insufficient cloud cover, the project has had multiple delays since July under the Delhi government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
• Despite the project’s initial promise prior to Diwali, Sirsa confirmed that due to atmospheric and temporal constraints, Delhi’s first cloud seeding trial likely after Diwali will take place.

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Scientific Collaboration and Regulatory Clearances

Top research institutes and several regulatory agencies are working together on the Delhi government’s artificial rain project. The partnership intends to investigate whether cloud seeding might be a workable long-term remedy for Delhi’s persistent smog and air pollution problems.

• To carry out five cloud seeding trials in northwest Delhi, the Delhi government and IIT Kanpur last month inked an MOU. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is one of 23 departments that have approved the project.
• In accordance with Rule 26(2) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, IIT Kanpur will carry out the operations using its Cessna 206-H aircraft (VT-IIT).
• According to the DGCA, the actions must be carried out in accordance with visual flying regulations, without payment, and only after receiving approval from the appropriate state and local authorities.
• These operations are allowed between October 1 and November 30, which guarantees that they are carried out during the best weather windows.
• Combining scientific knowledge with regulatory control, the project is being implemented in collaboration with specialists from IIT Kanpur, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the IMD.
• The project’s funding has already been moved to IIT Kanpur, demonstrating the Delhi government’s dedication to investigating cutting-edge approaches to pollution reduction.

Delhi’s first cloud seeding trial, likely after Diwali and with all the technical and logistical details ready, is a big step toward employing scientific intervention to address the capital’s ongoing winter smog problem.

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