📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Hemant banswal
Weather
China’s 27,000 cloud‑seeding operations prompt Delhi experts to weigh replication
✍️ India Today
🗓 07 Nov 2026, 11:35 PM
👁 17
China has conducted cloud‑seeding missions roughly 27,000 times. Indian meteorologists discuss whether the technique can be adapted for Delhi’s water‑stress challenges.
China’s weather‑modification programme has logged about 27,000 cloud‑seeding attempts over the past decades, aiming to boost rainfall in arid regions and during droughts. The scale of the Chinese effort has drawn attention from Indian scientists as Delhi grapples with erratic monsoon patterns and chronic water shortages.
Delhi’s municipal authorities have previously explored artificial rain‑making as a supplementary measure to augment groundwater recharge. Recent monsoon deficits have revived calls for a systematic cloud‑seeding strategy, prompting the Ministry of Earth Sciences to seek expert input.
Meteorologists familiar with the Indian sub‑continent caution that while the basic principle—dispersing hygroscopic particles to stimulate condensation—remains the same, local atmospheric dynamics differ markedly from those in China’s northern plains. Factors such as temperature gradients, aerosol load, and prevailing wind directions will influence any potential success.
Cost and regulatory frameworks also feature prominently in the debate. Deploying aircraft or drones for seeding over the densely populated National Capital Region would require clear air‑space permissions and coordination with aviation authorities. Preliminary estimates suggest a pilot programme could run in the range of several crore rupees per season.
The experts agree that a small‑scale trial during the pre‑monsoon period would be the prudent first step, allowing scientists to collect data on cloud microphysics and assess the technique’s efficacy before any large‑scale rollout is considered.
Delhi’s municipal authorities have previously explored artificial rain‑making as a supplementary measure to augment groundwater recharge. Recent monsoon deficits have revived calls for a systematic cloud‑seeding strategy, prompting the Ministry of Earth Sciences to seek expert input.
Meteorologists familiar with the Indian sub‑continent caution that while the basic principle—dispersing hygroscopic particles to stimulate condensation—remains the same, local atmospheric dynamics differ markedly from those in China’s northern plains. Factors such as temperature gradients, aerosol load, and prevailing wind directions will influence any potential success.
Cost and regulatory frameworks also feature prominently in the debate. Deploying aircraft or drones for seeding over the densely populated National Capital Region would require clear air‑space permissions and coordination with aviation authorities. Preliminary estimates suggest a pilot programme could run in the range of several crore rupees per season.
The experts agree that a small‑scale trial during the pre‑monsoon period would be the prudent first step, allowing scientists to collect data on cloud microphysics and assess the technique’s efficacy before any large‑scale rollout is considered.