Delhi’s cloud seeding trials fail to trigger rain as humidity levels remain too low, say IIT Kanpur and government officials. Photo: ANI.
The Delhi government conducted two cloud seeding trials on Tuesday in an effort to trigger artificial rain and combat the city’s worsening pollution levels. However, both attempts, carried out from Kanpur and Meerut, failed to produce rainfall by evening, officials confirmed.
The experimental flights were part of a larger plan by the Delhi government in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. The trials were conducted using a Cessna aircraft fitted with salt-based and silver iodide flares designed to induce rain.
Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, said the outcome was “not completely successful.”
“We did two sorties, one in the afternoon and one slightly later in the evening. A total of, I believe, 14 flares were fired. These were fired, and the aircraft returned to Meerut. There hasn’t been any rain so far. So, in that sense, it is not completely successful,” Agrawal told NDTV.
Also Read: When Will Delhi Conduct Third Cloud Seeding? Environment Minister Sirsa Shares Big Update
A similar attempt was carried out last week over Burari with limited success.
Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa confirmed that two trials were conducted on Tuesday, covering outer areas of the capital.
“Two cloud seeding trials were conducted in Delhi today; this was the third overall. The first took off from Kanpur this morning, and the second from Meerut. Today’s trial covered areas in outer Delhi… So far, this has been a historic trial,” Sirsa said.
According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Delhi Environment Department and IIT Kanpur, the total cost for five cloud seeding trials stands at Rs 3.2 crore, with each sortie costing approximately Rs 64 lakh.
Officials informed agencies that the latest trials took place in Khekra, Burari, North Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar, where eight flares, each weighing between 2 and 2.5 kilograms, were deployed.
A preliminary Delhi government report pointed out that the trials failed largely due to insufficient atmospheric moisture. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted humidity levels of just 10–15%, far below the threshold required for cloud seeding.
Also Read: When Will Delhi Conduct Third Cloud Seeding? Environment Minister Sirsa Shares Big Update
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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