Rekha Gupta, the chief minister of Delhi, announced Thursday that preparations for the massive pollution-control initiative were complete and that the city was prepared to experience its first artificial rain through cloud seeding. In a post on X, Gupta stated that the initiative’s trial in the Burari neighbourhood had been successful earlier in the day.
In Delhi’s battle against air pollution, a major technological milestone has been reached with the completion of plans to use cloud seeding to create artificial rain for the first time. A trial test was successfully carried out in the Burari area by experts on Thursday, she said.
“Cloudy conditions are predicted for October 28, 29, and 30, according to the weather service. Delhi is expected to experience its first artificial rain on October 29 provided the weather holds out, the article stated. In addition to being a technological first, this project lays forth a scientific strategy for reducing pollution in Delhi. With this innovation, the government hopes to balance the ecology and clean the air in the capital,” Gupta stated.
Gupta and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were thanked by Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa. “A trial seeding flight was flown today from IIT Kanpur to the Delhi region, passing through Aligarh, Meerut, Khekra, Burari, Sadakpur, Bhojpur, and Burari before returning to IIT Kanpur. “Using pyrotechnic techniques, cloud seeding flares were fired over the Badli area and between Khekra and Burari,” Sirsa wrote in a post on X.
“The flight turned into a mission to evaluate the capabilities of the cloud-seeding system, aircraft endurance, and coordination among all participating agencies,” he added. The Delhi government and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, have collaborated to develop the cloud-seeding initiative. In order to lower the levels of particulate pollution in the nation’s capital, it seeks to investigate the possibility of creating artificial rains.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was inked in September between the Delhi government and IIT-Kanpur for five cloud-seeding trials that might take place in north Delhi. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is one of 23 departments that have approved the project, which looks at whether artificial rain can be a practical way to combat the wintertime pollution spike. The money has been given to IIT-Kanpur, which would use its own planes for the mission.
The permitted cloud-seeding operations will adhere to stringent safety, security, and air traffic regulations and run from October 1 to November 30. The Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kanpur has been granted permission to use a Cessna 206-H aircraft (VT-IIT) for the activity in accordance with rule 26(2) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. Experts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, are collaborating on the research.