Delhi has successfully completed its cloud seeding trial today. According to officials, the special aircraft deployed for the operation, which departed from Kanpur, concluded its trial over Delhi’s Burari area and is now headed to Meerut.
Authorities are now closely monitoring the targeted areas for the onset of artificial rain. Officials also indicated that a second trial could potentially take place later today, depending on weather conditions.
Experts from IIT Kanpur, who are integral to the government’s initiative, anticipate that the artificial rain could begin falling over Delhi anytime between the next 15 minutes and four hours.
In response to the trial’s success, Delhi’s Environment Minister, Manjeet Singh Sirsa, stated that if today’s trials prove effective, the NCT government plans to implement a long-term strategy through February 2026. “We will conduct artificial rain daily or every alternate day, if the weather demands that,” he added.
This initiative is part of Delhi government’s broader plan to conduct five cloud seeding trials aimed at combating the city’s worsening air quality. All five trials are scheduled to take place in the northwest region of Delhi.
The trial conducted today covered areas including Khekra, Burari, Mayur Vihar, North Karol Bagh, Sadakpur, and Bhojpur. This marks the second cloud seeding attempt over Delhi; the first, conducted last week over Burari, was unsuccessful due to insufficient atmospheric moisture (below the required 50%).
The Delhi government had announced its cloud seeding plan last week. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had previously mentioned that the trials would occur between October 28th and 29th, coinciding with the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast of cloudy skies over the capital.
What is Cloud Seeding?
Cloud seeding is a process that artificially induces rainfall by introducing specific particles, such as silver iodide crystals or salt-based compounds, into clouds that contain sufficient moisture. Specialized aircraft are used to disperse these particles, which help smaller cloud droplets to coalesce into larger raindrops, potentially leading to precipitation.