'Lack of moisture': Delhi govt halts cloud seeding activity for today

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s second planned cloud seeding experiment was put on hold on Wednesday. According to officials said, no trial will take place today as moisture content is same as Tuesday.

"The cloud-seeding activity planned for today has been put on hold due to insufficient moisture in the clouds. The process is highly dependent on the right atmospheric conditions," a statement from IIT-Kanpur read.


"While rainfall could not be triggered yesterday because moisture levels were around 15 to 20%, the trial delivered valuable insights. Monitoring stations set up across Delhi captured real-time changes in particulate matter and moisture levels. The data shows a measurable reduction of 6 to 10 percent in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, indicating that even under limited moisture conditions, cloud seeding can contribute to improved air quality," the statement said further.

"These observations strengthen our planning for future operations and allow us to better identify conditions where this intervention can deliver maximum benefit. Such learnings form the foundation for more effective deployments ahead."

'Costly and short-term reponse'

Experts have criticised Delhi’s cloud seeding trials, calling them a costly and short-term response to the capital’s worsening air pollution crisis.

The Delhi government, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, carried out its first cloud seeding experiment on Tuesday.

However, scientists warn that even if artificial rain temporarily settles airborne pollutants, air quality is likely to deteriorate again within a day or two.

“This is a hugely expensive, temporary and unsustainable measure,” said one expert, adding that cloud seeding cannot address the underlying causes of Delhi’s toxic smog — vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, and crop burning.

Rs 64 lakh per sortie

According to thememorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between IIT-Kanpur and the Delhi environment department, the total budget for the cloud seeding project is over Rs 3.2 crore for five trials — meaning each sortie costs roughly Rs 64 lakh.

Three trials have so far been conducted over north Delhi, but none produced significant rainfall. Despite the effort, the city’s air quality index (AQI) has continued to hover between the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories over the past few days.

The trial and its results

On Tuesday, a Cessna aircraft equipped with special flares took off from Kanpur, releasing seeding material over Burari, north Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar before landing at the Meerut airfield.

“The aircraft released eight fire flares, and the trial lasted for about half an hour,” said Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa in a video statement. He added that IIT-Kanpur scientists had estimated rainfall could occur within 15 minutes to four hours after the seeding.

However, officials confirmed that no major precipitation was recorded in the target areas following the trial.