India’s capital is preparing to create artificial rain in a bid to ease its toxic air pollution, with cloud seeding trials planned next week. The move would mark the first time Delhi has deployed weather modification to tackle its chronic smog, which each year causes thousands of premature deaths and severe health problems.
The pilot project, planned between 4 and 11 July, will see a small aircraft release a mix of silver iodide, iodised salt and rock salt into moisture-rich clouds above the city. Scientists hope the particles will act as seeds for raindrops, triggering rainfall that could wash dangerous pollutants from the atmosphere.
“Our aim is to give Delhiites clean air. It’s the most basic right of every resident, and the government is exploring every possible solution to achieve it,” Delhi’s environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said. “That’s why we’re taking this bold step of artificial rain. We are hopeful it will bring meaningful change.”
Current air quality levels in Delhi remain unhealthy, with recent readings ranging from 80 to 120 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale – high enough to pose risks to vulnerable groups, but far lower than the extreme levels the city routinely sees in winter, when the AQI can soar above 800 and, in some localities, exceed 1,000.
Delhi had previously attempted to launch a similar artificial rain project last year under the Aam Aadmi Party government, but efforts stalled amid bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of central government approvals. Officials say the new trial is the first to secure the necessary authorisations and funding, creating an opportunity to finally evaluate the feasibility of cloud seeding in Delhi’s conditions.
While cloud seeding may provide temporary relief, experts say only sustained efforts to curb emissions from vehicles, construction and crop burning will secure lasting improvements in air quality for the city’s more than 30 million inhabitants.
