Delhi’s Cloud Seeding Trial: Can artificial rain save Delhi from choking?

KAKALI DAS

Delhi, the capital of India, is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Every winter, its air becomes thick with smog, making it hard for people to breathe.

This year, Delhi is trying something new and unusual, it is planning to make it rain artificially to clean the air. This process is called cloud seeding.

For the first time ever, Delhi’s Environment Department, working with scientists from IIT Kanpur, will carry out a cloud seeding project to reduce pollution.

The plan was first scheduled from July 4 to July 11, 2025, but due to bad weather, it has been postponed to August 2025. Delhi’s Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, and Environment Minister, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, confirmed the new schedule.

Delhi’s pollution levels have become very dangerous, especially after festivals like Diwali when fireworks and crop burning add harmful particles to the air. After last Diwali, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) went above 500, which is considered hazardous. Schools closed, children were kept indoors, flights were delayed, and hospitals were overwhelmed by breathing-related illnesses.

Delhi has been struggling for years to control pollution, but now cloud seeding is being seen as a possible quick way to get cleaner air, even if just for a few days.

What is Cloud Seeding?

Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that tries to encourage rain from clouds that already have some moisture. Scientists spray tiny particles such as silver iodide, potassium iodide, salt, or dry ice into the clouds. These particles help water droplets in the clouds to come together and become heavy enough to fall as rain.

Cloud seeding was first tested in 1946 by scientists from General Electric. Since then, many countries have used it to increase rainfall during droughts or to clear pollution before important events.

Each flight lasts about 90 minutes, covering approximately 100 square kilometres. The planes will spray silver iodide and salt particles into the clouds.

The project has been approved by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). IIT Kanpur scientists are leading the technical work.

Delhi’s hope is that even one rainfall event will wash away tiny harmful particles called PM2.5 and PM10 from the air. These particles are dangerous because they can enter our lungs and cause health problems.

Does cloud seeding really work? The truth is, cloud seeding does not always work perfectly. It only helps if the clouds already have enough moisture. Studies show cloud seeding may increase rainfall by 5% to 15%, but sometimes it can have no effect at all.

Cloud Seeding 3 — Hygroscopic flares are attached to an aircraft during a cloud seeding flight operated by the National Center of Meteorology, between Al Ain and Al Hayer, in United Arab Emirates, August 24, 2022. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky

Different countries have had mixed results. In the United Arab Emirates, cloud seeding has helped create more rain, but the salt used sometimes built up in soil and made pollution worse. In China, cloud seeding helped clear skies before big events, but it also changed where the rain fell, causing some areas to get less water.

In India, cloud seeding has been tried before but never to fight pollution in a big city like Delhi. Maharashtra used it in 2019 to increase monsoon rains by 18%. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka tried it to fight droughts, and Rajasthan used it during dry spells in Udaipur.

But Delhi’s case is different because the goal is not to grow crops or fight drought, it is to clear the toxic air in a very crowded and polluted city.

Many experts say cloud seeding is only a temporary fix, not a long-term solution to pollution. Here are some concerns:Too little rain might have no effect on air pollution.Too much rain can cause flooding and waterlogging in parts of Delhi.Chemical residues from silver iodide and salt might build up in soil and water if cloud seeding is repeated often.

Cloud seeding does not reduce pollution sources like car emissions, factory smoke, or crop burning , it only cleans the air for a short time.

So, even if it works, cloud seeding is just pushing the problem away for a few days, not solving it.

Why Now? Why Cloud Seeding?

The idea to try cloud seeding in Delhi was proposed by IIT Kanpur scientists as early as 2018. However, delays due to government approvals, weather conditions, and funding slowed the project down. Now with ₹3.2 crore budget sanctioned and IMD confirming the presence of clouds that can be seeded, the project is ready to start.

The best-case outcome is that it rains, the pollution drops, and Delhiites get to breathe clean air for a few days. The data collected will also help scientists understand better how cloud seeding works in a city like Delhi.

The worst case is that it rains very little or not at all, and the experiment does not bring any improvement. Even then, scientists will learn from the results and improve future attempts.

Cloud seeding is just one step. Experts agree that to truly fix Delhi’s air pollution, long-term action is needed. This includes: Switching to cleaner fuels like electric vehicles and renewable energy. Improving public transportation to reduce the number of cars on the road. Enforcing crop burning bans to stop farmers from burning stubble in nearby states. And, making strict policies to reduce emissions from industries and vehicles.

Delhi is a city struggling to breathe. Cloud seeding is a new, scientific way to try and give it some relief, even if only for a short time. While it is not the ultimate answer to the pollution crisis, it shows that the city is willing to try new solutions.

Delhi is finally seeding the skies with hopes of rain, cleaner air, and healthier lives for its people. Let’s hope this artificial rain brings more than just water, it brings hope.

06-07-2025

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