Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced on Tuesday that the national capital will soon witness a third round of cloud seeding, following the completion of the second trial by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur earlier in the day. The initiative aims to explore the potential of artificial rainfall as a pollution-control method.
Sirsa said that IIT Kanpur will share a detailed report of the second trial later in the evening. The latest trial was carried out using a Cessna aircraft equipped with salt-based and silver iodide flares to induce rain. The first trial had taken place last week over Burari on September 23.
Speaking to ANI, the Delhi Minister said, “A cloud seeding trial has just been conducted. IIT Kanpur will submit a full report in the evening. We will conduct another trial today. The aircraft for the second trial has just taken off from Meerut. This will be the third trial in Delhi. In the previous trial, it was estimated that the moisture content in the clouds was 15 to 20 per cent, which is very low.”
“If we succeed in this, it would be a historic achievement. IIT Kanpur is collecting samples on a large scale… Eight flares were fired prior to this cloud seeding. One flare lasts 2 to 2.5 minutes and weighs 1 to 2.5 kilos. So, this cloud seeding lasted approximately 15-20 minutes, and the number will likely increase in the second trial…IIT will release all the details in the evening,” he said.
Sirsa also said that the team from IIT Kanpur has expressed hope for good results from these systematically conducted experiments.
In a post on X, Sirsa shared pictures of the second trial and wrote, “Today, another trial of Cloud Seeding was completed in Delhi. The Cessna aircraft took off again from Meerut Airport for Delhi and released cloud seeding flares in different areas.”
“The team from IIT Kanpur has expressed hope for good results from these systematically conducted experiments. Based on the success of these trials, Cloud Seeding will be used extensively in Delhi for pollution control under the leadership of Honorable Chief Minister Mrs. gupta_rekhaji,” the post read.
The Delhi government on Tuesday afternoon carried out cloud seeding across several parts of the city, Environment Minister in Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s cabinet said, adding that it was part of efforts to explore artificial rainfall solutions aimed at reducing pollution levels.
The aircraft arrived from Meerut, though its scheduled 12:30 pm departure was slightly delayed due to poor visibility.
Delhi Minister Sirsa said that the areas covered are Khekra, Burari, North Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar. He further explained that eight flares, each weighing between 2 and 2.5 kilograms, were used during the process.
According to IIT Kanpur, the first round involved releasing six flares at an altitude of around 4,000 feet above ground level, with a burn time of 18.5 minutes.
And a second flight took off at 3:55 pm, deploying eight flares at a higher altitude of around 5000-6,000 feet.
In an official statement, IIT Kanpur said, “Today, IIT Kanpur successfully executed a cloud-seeding operation over Delhi, a corridor measuring roughly 25 nautical miles in length and 4 nautical miles in width with the largest distance covered between Khekra and little north of Burari. The first round involved six flares released at an altitude of nearly 4,000 feet above ground level, with a burn duration of 18.5 minutes. A second flight took off at 3:55 pm, deploying eight flares at a higher altitude of around 5000-6,000 feet.”
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that involves artificially inducing rainfall by dispersing particles such as silver iodide or salt-based compounds into moisture-laden clouds.
With inputs from ANI
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
