📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Hemant banswal
Weather
Delhi Govt conducts two cloud‑seeding trials to curb air pollution
✍️ Livemint
🗓 06 Nov 2026, 04:36 PM
👁 12
The central government carried out two cloud‑seeding experiments in Delhi as part of its strategy to alleviate the capital’s chronic air‑pollution crisis.
The Union Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Indian Meteorological Department, launched two cloud‑seeding trials over Delhi on Monday. The operations involved dispersing silver‑iodide particles from aircraft to stimulate rainfall in heavily polluted zones, aiming to wash out particulate matter from the atmosphere.
Each trial was conducted under controlled conditions, with ground‑based monitoring stations tracking changes in particulate concentration, visibility and humidity. The experiments are part of a broader set of weather‑modification measures the government has earmarked for the capital, especially during winter months when smog levels peak.
Earlier plans had earmarked more than ₹1 crore for a series of cloud‑seeding projects slated for 2025. While the current trials are limited in scale, officials said they will assess the results before committing additional funds to larger‑scale interventions.
Delhi’s air‑quality index has repeatedly breached hazardous levels, prompting authorities to explore unconventional solutions. The outcomes of these trials will be reviewed by the Ministry to determine whether cloud‑seeding can become a regular tool in the city’s pollution‑control arsenal.
Each trial was conducted under controlled conditions, with ground‑based monitoring stations tracking changes in particulate concentration, visibility and humidity. The experiments are part of a broader set of weather‑modification measures the government has earmarked for the capital, especially during winter months when smog levels peak.
Earlier plans had earmarked more than ₹1 crore for a series of cloud‑seeding projects slated for 2025. While the current trials are limited in scale, officials said they will assess the results before committing additional funds to larger‑scale interventions.
Delhi’s air‑quality index has repeatedly breached hazardous levels, prompting authorities to explore unconventional solutions. The outcomes of these trials will be reviewed by the Ministry to determine whether cloud‑seeding can become a regular tool in the city’s pollution‑control arsenal.