The Delhi government is likely to conduct the first trial of cloud seeding on Tuesday if the weather conditions are favorable, the official said.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told news agency PTI that a review meeting is scheduled for Tuesday (October 28) to assess the feasibility of conducting the trial.
Read also | Will Delhi get rain today ahead of cloud seeding test? Check the weather forecast
“The flight will reach Delhi from Kanpur tomorrow. If the weather conditions are favourable, we can do the cloud seeding trial. But it all depends on the weather,” the minister said.
What is cloud seeding?
Cloud seeding is the practice of using aircraft to fire salt or other chemicals into clouds to induce rain.
The aim of the cloud seeding attempt is to induce artificial rain to deal with air pollution in Delhi. It is part of a wider government strategy to mitigate worsening air quality in the winter months.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta last week said the rollout of cloud computing has become a must for the capital, calling it a pioneering step to address the city’s ongoing environmental crisis.
Read also | Delhi: Preparations for artificial rains complete, says CM Rekha Gupta
“Cloud seeding is a must for Delhi and it is a first of its kind experiment. We want to try it in Delhi to see if it can help us control this very serious environmental problem,” Rekha Gupta told ANI.
She added, “So the blessings of the people of Delhi go to the government and we feel that this will be a successful experiment and we will be able to overcome these environmental issues in the future.”
The dates are probably good for cloud seeding in Delhi
Last week, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had indicated the possibility of suitable cloud formations between October 28 and 30.
Read also | Cloud planting in Delhi: How it works as the city waits for its first artificial rain
“According to the Meteorological Department, cloudy weather is expected on October 28, 29 and 30. If the weather remains favourable, Delhi is likely to witness the first artificial rain on October 29,” Gupta said in a post on X on Thursday.
Weather in Delhi today, October 28
Delhi is likely to witness cloudy skies “with fog/haze during morning hours”.
Light precipitation is also possible. “One or two spells of very light rain/drizzle are likely during the early hours/morning,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Successful exam
A successful trial of the project took place last Thursday in the Burari area, Gupta said in a post on X.
During a test run at Burari, a small amount of silver iodide and sodium chloride compounds used to trigger artificial rain were released from the aircraft.
Due to the low atmospheric humidity of less than 20 percent as opposed to the 50 percent usually required for cloud seeding, precipitation could not be induced.
IIT Kanpur, which is leading the project, said in its report on the exercise: “It was a test flight to check cloud seeding capabilities, aircraft readiness and endurance, evaluation of cloud seeding equipment and flare capabilities and coordination among all agencies involved.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier granted permission to IIT Kanpur to conduct the exams anytime between October 1 and November 30.
On September 25, the Delhi government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IIT Kanpur to conduct five cloud seeding trials, all of which are planned for northwest Delhi.
Officials said preparations for Delhi’s long-awaited cloud-seeding experiment are now complete, with the government conducting a test flight over Burari last week.
