Cloud seeding plan ready, govt awaits nod from IMD

The Delhi government is "fully prepared" to carry out cloud seeding in the Capital to induce artificial rain, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Wednesday, adding that four days of trial flights have already been conducted over the “target area”.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok and Aaditya Khatwani

The project, which the government has claimed will reduce air pollution around Diwali, now awaits a final go-ahead from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

“Our aircraft is ready at Meerut. The pilots have familiarised themselves with the flight path. We're only waiting for IMD's green signal and the right cloud conditions. If all goes well, the first trial could happen even on the day-after Diwali or the following day, if conditions are suitable,” Sirsa said.

Officials said that two experienced commercial pilots conducted the trial runs over northwest Delhi -- the chosen zone for the pilot project -- to prepare for the real operation. “The four-day trial was successful with no technical challenges,” Sirsa said.

Cloud seeding, a weather modification process, involves dispersing substances such as silver iodide (AgI) into clouds to enhance their ability to produce rain. The Delhi project is being executed in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, which has modified its Cessna-206H aircraft specifically for this purpose.