The Delhi government’s ambitious cloud-seeding trial, carried out on Tuesday to induce artificial rain and ease the capital’s choking air, has failed to produce the desired results, setting off a political storm as air quality remains in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ categories.
The Trial, conducted jointly by the Delhi government and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, involved dispersing silver iodide particles into moisture-bearing clouds to trigger rainfall. A specially equipped aircraft flew sorties over Khekra, Burari, North Karol Bagh, Mayur Vihar, Sadakpur, and Bhojpur on Tuesday.
The initiative, the first of its kind in the National Capital in over five decades, was intended to test whether artificial rain could serve as a short-term pollution mitigation tool. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa described it as “a scientific experiment to explore every possible measure to improve air quality”.
Did The Experiment Fail?
Meteorologists and researchers said that the failure stemmed from low humidity levels — well below what is required for successful cloud seeding. For the technique to work, the air must contain at least 50 per cent relative humidity so that seeding agents such as silver iodide can catalyse condensation.
During Tuesday’s operation, atmospheric moisture ranged only between 10 and 20 per cent. Despite visible cloud cover, there was insufficient vapour to form rain-bearing droplets. “We need moisture above 50 per cent. This trial was conducted precisely to assess whether seeding can work in drier conditions,” Sirsa told reporters, adding that the results would inform future operations.
The Political Fallout
The unsuccessful trial has become a flashpoint in Delhi’s perennial “pollution politics”. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led administration of “fraud in the name of rain”, mocking the initiative as a publicity exercise. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that “not a single drop fell anywhere in Delhi” and quipped that “even Lord Indra seems displeased with the BJP."
AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar alleged that the ruling party was attempting to manipulate public perception rather than implement long-term emission control strategies. “When AAP was in power, we had comprehensive summer and winter action plans. The BJP, instead, shuts down monitoring stations to alter AQI readings,” she said.
The BJP defended the experiment as a scientific undertaking rather than a political move, noting that the objective was to test feasibility, not to guarantee rainfall. Officials also pointed out that particulate matter levels had shown a marginal reduction in areas where the seeding was conducted.
Pollution Persists
The unchecked bursting of firecrackers in violation of the Supreme Court’s prescribed time limits engulfed Delhi in a thick toxic haze on Tuesday, a day after Diwali. Data showed the city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) soared to 451 at 7 am, nearly 1.8 times higher than the national average, as pollution levels spiked following festive celebrations. Several monitoring stations recorded AQI in the 'severe' range, highlighting a significant environmental challenge coinciding with the festival of lights.
Post Diwali, air quality in the capital showed little improvement. The national capital continued to reel under a thick blanket of smog on Thursday, with air quality slipping back into the ‘very poor’ category. According to the latest data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 373.
Just two days after the city’s cloud seeding trials — which had brought a brief improvement — pollution levels once again deteriorated. As of 4 pm on Thursday, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 373, compared to 279 on Tuesday, when the air quality was in the ‘poor’ category.
Neighbouring areas in the National Capital Region also recorded high levels of pollution. Meanwhile, cloud seeding in Delhi has been put on hold due to insufficient moisture in the atmosphere, IIT Kanpur said in an official statement on the trials. While both sides trade accusations, the National Capital continues to choke on toxic air with little sign of relief in sight. |
