NEW DELHI: The directorate general of civil aviation has granted permission to IIT Kanpur to carry out cloud seeding in Delhi between Oct 1 and Nov 30. Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the trials of the artificial rain might be conducted between Oct 9 and 11 in north Delhi.
"This will provide relief to Delhiites from air pollution in Nov and Dec. IIT Kanpur's Cessna aircraft will be flown from the Hindon airbase for the trials," said Sirsa.
In a letter dated Sept 23, DGCA stated that IIT Kanpur would have to comply with certain conditions, including prior clearance from the air traffic controller in the vicinity, no flying over restricted and prohibited areas, no aerial photography or survey and no involvement of a foreign crew.
Cloud seeding is a weather-modification measure that introduces substances in the air to aggregate and condense moisture particles into rain. A maximum of five sorties are planned, with each flight covering 100 sq km and lasting at least 1 hour and 30 minutes over non-sensitive zones.
Soon after coming to power, Delhi govt announced cloud seeding to deal with toxic pollution. "After the trials, we will also collect water samples and conduct a proper study to ascertain that there are no harmful chemicals in them," Sirsa said earlier.
Priyangi Agarwal writes on environmental and climate change issue...
Read MorePriyangi Agarwal writes on environmental and climate change issues, connecting these topics to the everyday lives of people. She tracks developments across the capital’s transport hubs—Delhi Metro, Namo Bharat Trains, and Delhi Airport—while also reporting on pressing social issues. Her stories blend data analysis with voices from the ground to tell human-centred narratives. Previously stationed in western Uttar Pradesh, she focused her coverage on minority issues, health, and human rights.
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