Delhi's Cloud Seeding Trials Show Limited Success in Combating Air Pollution Crisis

Agarwal mentioned that two additional similar flights are scheduled for Wednesday.

New Delhi:

The efforts to induce rainfall through cloud seeding in certain areas of Delhi on Tuesday were "not completely successful" due to insufficient moisture content in the clouds, according to IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agarwal. He emphasized that cloud seeding isn't a magical solution for pollution issues but rather an emergency measure.

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV on Tuesday, Agarwal, whose institution is working with the Delhi government on this experiment, confirmed that further attempts will be made on Wednesday with hopes for better outcomes.

Agarwal explained that the mixture utilized by the team contains only 20% silver iodide, with the remainder being a combination of rock salt and common salt. He reported that 14 flares were deployed on Tuesday.

"We haven't experienced any rainfall yet, so it wasn't entirely successful. Unfortunately, today's clouds have relatively low moisture content, approximately 15-20%. The likelihood of generating rain with such minimal moisture is quite low. However, this trial has boosted our team's confidence to continue with these efforts," the IIT Kanpur director stated.

"There have been mixed forecasts regarding rainfall today. Some predict rain, while others don't. Our team discovered that the cloud cover contained very little moisture. This might be specific to the area we covered... Therefore, we don't anticipate any rain occurring today," he added.

Agarwal confirmed that two more flights will take place on Wednesday, and operations will continue whenever there is sufficient cloud cover.

When questioned about cloud seeding as a potential long-term solution to Delhi's persistent pollution problem, the IIT director was clear that it isn't.

"This is an emergency solution. During critical situations with extremely high pollution levels, it's one method that can be attempted to reduce pollution. It's not a permanent fix. The lasting solution involves controlling pollution sources. Ideally, we should reach a point where cloud seeding becomes unnecessary because pollution is no longer an issue. Until then, this remains one available tool for somewhat reducing pollution," he clarified.

He mentioned that costs are currently high because flights operate from Uttar Pradesh, but these expenses could be significantly reduced.

"Any initiative that helps reduce pollution benefits everyone. Even though it's not a permanent solution, if it rains after a few days, it can at least provide some relief," he remarked.

Government's Position

The Delhi government reported that cloud seeding trials helped reduce particulate matter in areas where they were conducted. According to their report, two precipitation events were recorded - 0.1 mm of rainfall in Noida at 4 pm and twice that amount in Greater Noida at the same time.

"Before cloud seeding, PM 2.5 levels were 221, 230, and 229 in Mayur Vihar, Karol Bagh, and Burari respectively, which decreased to 207, 206, and 203 after the first seeding. Similarly, PM 10 levels were 207, 206, 209, which reduced to 177, 163, 177 in Mayur Vihar, Karol Bagh, and Burari respectively," stated the report.