Delhi govt writes to Centre, pushes for ‘cloud seeding’ to tackle air pollution

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai has asked the Centre to hold an urgent meeting with key stakeholders to speed up approvals for cloud seeding, a measure aimed at reducing the expected winter pollution increase in the national capital.

The minister underscored the importance of working with different agencies to secure the necessary approvals for the effective implementation of cloud seeding technology.

"We have already experienced a delay of approximately one month in the efforts for cloud seeding in Delhi and with air quality likely to deteriorate to ‘hazardous’ levels by early November, I once again request you to immediately convene meetings with all relevant stakeholders,” Rai writes in his letter to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav.

Delhi government explored cloud seeding as a strategy to combat pollution last year with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur outlining its potential benefits.

However, progress was hindered by delays in securing essential approvals from central agencies.

Cloud seeding involves artificially inducing rain to remove pollutants from the air and has been suggested as a temporary solution to Delhi's ongoing smog problems, as mentioned in the letter.

“We are prepared to take up cloud seeding to combat air pollution, but we need clearances from central departments to proceed,” Rai said, urging the Union environment minister to facilitate an all-stakeholder meeting to fast-track the approval process.

One of the suggestions given by the experts was that of inducing artificial rain, which is brought about through cloud seeding — a weather modification technique in which silver iodide (AgI) is released into the atmosphere to aid the formation of ice crystals and improve the ability of the cloud to create rain.

IIT Kanpur has a special aircraft modified and retrofitted with cloud seeding equipment to carry out such an exercise.