Pilot project to combat winter air pollution yields no precipitation; Authorities plan retry
India’s capital region has seen its first attempt at artificial rain end in failure, dealing a blow to efforts aimed at easing the city’s worsening winter air pollution.
According to the Times of India and other local outlets on October 29, the Delhi state government conducted a cloud-seeding experiment the previous afternoon around Karol Bagh, Burari, and Mayur Vihar. Chemicals were released from an aircraft in an effort to induce rainfall, but no precipitation occurred within the expected window of 15 minutes to 4 hours after dispersal.
Officials said the experiment will continue through October 30. The project was jointly developed with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, which designed a custom aircraft for the operation. The initiative, with a total budget of 32.1 million rupees (about 520 million won), was approved in May but postponed several times due to unsuitable weather conditions.
Cloud seeding involves dispersing substances such as silver iodide (AgI) into clouds to enhance the likelihood of rainfall. The technique has been used in drought-prone regions like the western United States and the United Arab Emirates, though scientists continue to debate its effectiveness.
The Delhi government has been exploring artificial rain as part of its air pollution control measures for the past five years, officially adding it to its winter emergency response plan in 2023. However, the failure of the first full-scale trial has reportedly left many residents disappointed.
With a population of about 20 million, New Delhi has consistently ranked among the world’s most polluted cities since 2021, according to Swiss air-quality firm IQAir. Despite various countermeasures—including bans on diesel generators and crop residue burning, and restrictions on diesel vehicle use—air quality levels have shown little improvement.