Delhi is once again choking, as it does every year. The National Capital Region’s air quality index (AQI) plunged into the “severe” category, crossing 340 in several areas, more than six times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization. Though it improved slightly to the “poor” range on October 24, the city remains blanketed in a toxic grey haze. The smog, thick enough to blur skylines and sting eyes, has turned into an annual post-Diwali ritual. A deadly mix of firecracker smoke, stubble burning from Punjab and Haryana, vehicle emissions, and falling wind speeds traps pollutants near the ground as temperatures dip.

Before winter arrives, Delhi’s skies are still covered in a dense, poisonous haze that irritates the eyes and throat and makes breathing difficult. The Delhi government has chosen to use cloud seeding, a weather-manipulation method that offers only temporary respite, to create artificial rain to address this. Experts warn that cloud seeding won’t solve Delhi’s air pollution crisis, though, because the effects are erratic and transient.

Understanding Cloud Seeding and Its Mechanism

A scientific technique called cloud seeding aims to increase a cloud’s ability to produce precipitation, such as snowfall. Using this technique, meteorologists inject salts such as sodium chloride, potassium iodide, or silver iodide into moist clouds that aren’t producing enough precipitation. These salts serve as nuclei around which ice crystallizes or water droplets form.

The cloud becomes saturated and begins to rain when these droplets grow and collide. Typically, aircraft, rockets, or ground-based devices are used to disseminate the particles. This method, developed in the 1940s, has been used worldwide to reduce hail damage, combat droughts, and even put out forest fires. IIT Kanpur, along with the Delhi government, recently led the city’s first successful cloud seeding trial in the Burari region.

• The trial aimed to evaluate the aircraft’s and equipment’s readiness.
• While at least 50% humidity is usually required for optimal sowing, experts noted that moisture levels were below 15%.
• Natural atmospheric conditions are crucial, as evidenced by the test’s lack of precipitation.

Artificial rain does not affect gases such as ozone or sulfur dioxide, but it can help remove particulate pollutants such as PM_2.5 and PM₁₀. Therefore, the respite it provides is just temporary, lasting only a day or two until pollution levels rise once more.

Also Read: Is Air Pollution The Biggest Health Risk In India? Study Says It Cuts 5 Years Of Life Expectancy

Why Experts Say Cloud Seeding Is No Long-Term Solution

Despite the project’s apparent innovation, experts claim that cloud seeding won’t solve Delhi’s air pollution crisis because it relies heavily on weather conditions and has short-term effects. IIT Delhi experts Shahzad Gani and Krishna Achutarao point out that the data proving cloud seeding’s dependability is “weak and contested.” Even when effective, its pollution-removal benefits are short-lived and only result in surface-level rather than structural alteration.

Key concerns raised by scientists include:

• Dependency on Clouds: Seeding is impossible without enough moisture, particularly in Delhi’s often arid post-Diwali climate.
• Environmental Impact: If used continuously, sodium chloride or silver iodide can contaminate water and soil in significant amounts.
• Accountability Concerns: If artificial rain accidentally causes excessive rainfall or flooding, there may be concerns regarding who is responsible for any resulting damage.
• Temporary Relief: Within 24 to 48 hours following rainfall, pollutant levels rebound to dangerous levels.

Cloud seeding won’t solve Delhi’s air pollution crisis, according to experts, because it ignores industrial discharges, construction dust, vehicle emissions, and burning crop leftovers. In light of Delhi’s ongoing smog problem, any reprieve from artificial rain is only a temporary solution if these causes are not addressed.

Also Read: Air Pollution May Raise Infertility Risk, Impacting Reproductive Health: US Study