Artificial Rain / Rainmaking / Cloud Seeding: India begins cloud seeding trials in Delhi to combat severe air pollution; two tests completed, but no rainfall recorded yet
India has begun cloud seeding trials in Delhi to combat severe air pollution, with two tests completed so far. These trials were conducted in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, using a Cessna aircraft to release silver iodide and salt-based flares into clouds over areas including Burari, North Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar. The objective is to spur artificial rainfall that can help reduce pollution by settling dust and particulate matter from the atmosphere.
Despite the successful conduct of the two trials, no rainfall has yet been recorded in Delhi due to low atmospheric moisture conditions—around 15-20%, which falls below the 50-60% typically required for cloud seeding to induce rain effectively. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts no rain-bearing clouds over Delhi in the upcoming week. Experts note that cloud seeding requires suitable clouds with adequate moisture, wind speeds, and vertical cloud structure to generate precipitation, which have been lacking in the current trials.
The Delhi Environment Minister has stated that rain could still occur within 15 minutes to 4 hours after seeding under favorable conditions, but the amount of rain is expected to be limited because of low humidity. The government plans to conduct 9-10 more trials when weather conditions improve. If these trials succeed, a longer-term plan to use cloud seeding through the winter months (until February) may be implemented to reduce pollution.
It is important to note that cloud seeding is seen as a complementary and temporary measure rather than a permanent solution to pollution. Environmentalists and scientists emphasize the need for stricter pollution control measures targeting emissions from vehicles, industries, construction, and agricultural burning for long-term improvement in air quality.
This is Delhi’s first cloud seeding effort since the 1970s, with prior experiments conducted during the monsoon of 1957 and early 1970s. The current trials aim to gather data on the feasibility of inducing rain under local atmospheric conditions and to develop optimized strategies for artificial rain in Delhi’s unique environment.
