In a setback to Delhi's ambitious battle against choking winter smog, the government's cloud seeding operations have been paused today, following expert advice from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. The decision comes just a day after two high-stakes trials failed to summon rain, despite costing over Rs 1.2 crore, as atmospheric moisture levels proved woefully inadequate.
Cloud seeding, a weather modification technique, involves dispersing silver iodide and salt particles into clouds to coax precipitation. For Delhi, reeling under an Air Quality Index (AQI) hovering between "poor" (275) and "very poor" (306) in the past week, it represented a desperate innovation to wash away toxic pollutants from stubble burning, vehicular emissions, and industrial fumes. On Tuesday, a Cessna aircraft from IIT Kanpur soared over hotspots like Burari, Karol Bagh, Mayur Vihar, and Badli, firing flares in two sorties at 12:15 p.m. and 3:55 p.m. While no droplets fell, clouds held just 15-20% moisture, far below the 50-60% threshold needed - the exercise wasn't a total bust.
IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agrawal defended the effort, revealing preliminary data showed a modest 6-10% dip in PM2.5 and PM10 levels. "This isn't magic; it's science under real-world constraints," he told reporters. "If we fear failure, we'll never innovate. These trials give invaluable insights for refining the process." Agrawal emphasised that seeding targets supercooled droplets in suitable clouds, a rarity in Delhi's dry winter stratus formations.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa echoed optimism, calling the operations "technically successful" and pledging 9-10 more flights in the coming days, weather permitting. "We're not giving up - this is an SOS for our citizens' lungs," he said. Opposition voices from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) labelled it a " Rs 1.2 crore flop" and demanding accountability for the no-rain outcome.
