NEW DELHI: As Delhi government explores the idea of artificial rain to control pollution in the winter months, experts said that the prerequisite conditions – which led the scientists to shelve the idea of cloud seeding in the city two years ago – remained the same even though Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, had experimented with the technology.
Earlier this month, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and then environment minister Gopal Rai asserted that rain with help of IIT-Kanpur, cloud seeding to create rain would be explored as an option when controlling pollution this coming winter.
However, despite a team of scientists and engineers at IIT-Kanpur flying an aircraft equipped with the required paraphernalia in June, experts said that to succeed, the technology still needed atmospheric moisture – a condition lacking in Delhi during the winter.
Cloud seeding is a weather-modification measure that introduces substances in the air to aggregate and condense moisture particles into rain. The technology has been used to control pollution in China and has major applications like aiding a drought-hit area and strategic application in defence. After being pursued as a viable technical solution to address Delhi’s pollution woes, cloud seeding had been discarded due to weather-related limitations.
In December 2021, according to documents obtained through an RTI application by Noida-based activist Amit Gupta, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had stated that there was too little moisture in the air in north India in winter, thus limiting the scope of cloud seeding. “Pre-existing clouds are needed to carry out the seeding process. This limits the scope of cloud seeding in the winter to bring rains and disperse pollutants. In view of the above, the cloud seeding project was not further taken up,” CPCB said.
IIT-Kanpur, however, continued to support the idea if not as an option for Delhi, then as a technological advancement. Professor Manindra Agarwal, who was associated with the rain-creation project at IIT-Kanpur said that the institution used pyrotechnic flares made in India and procured other equipment from the United States. The experiments were conducted in Kanpur.
Agarwal admitted, “The experiments were limited to flying and simple tests. We cannot take credit for creating rain because it was already raining that particular day in June.” But he reiterated that certain meteorological conditions, especially moisture content in the atmosphere, were necessary for any success.
Despite these, Agarwal said cloud seeding could prove beneficial for India. “Initially, the rain creation was meant for the Bundelkhand region after Uttar Pradesh government approached us. We have been experimenting since 2018,” said Agarwal. For more experiments, we require the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s permission. We are arranging a meeting with them soon.”
Earlier this month, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and then environment minister Gopal Rai asserted that rain with help of IIT-Kanpur, cloud seeding to create rain would be explored as an option when controlling pollution this coming winter.
However, despite a team of scientists and engineers at IIT-Kanpur flying an aircraft equipped with the required paraphernalia in June, experts said that to succeed, the technology still needed atmospheric moisture – a condition lacking in Delhi during the winter.
Cloud seeding is a weather-modification measure that introduces substances in the air to aggregate and condense moisture particles into rain. The technology has been used to control pollution in China and has major applications like aiding a drought-hit area and strategic application in defence. After being pursued as a viable technical solution to address Delhi’s pollution woes, cloud seeding had been discarded due to weather-related limitations.
In December 2021, according to documents obtained through an RTI application by Noida-based activist Amit Gupta, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had stated that there was too little moisture in the air in north India in winter, thus limiting the scope of cloud seeding. “Pre-existing clouds are needed to carry out the seeding process. This limits the scope of cloud seeding in the winter to bring rains and disperse pollutants. In view of the above, the cloud seeding project was not further taken up,” CPCB said.
IIT-Kanpur, however, continued to support the idea if not as an option for Delhi, then as a technological advancement. Professor Manindra Agarwal, who was associated with the rain-creation project at IIT-Kanpur said that the institution used pyrotechnic flares made in India and procured other equipment from the United States. The experiments were conducted in Kanpur.
Agarwal admitted, “The experiments were limited to flying and simple tests. We cannot take credit for creating rain because it was already raining that particular day in June.” But he reiterated that certain meteorological conditions, especially moisture content in the atmosphere, were necessary for any success.
Despite these, Agarwal said cloud seeding could prove beneficial for India. “Initially, the rain creation was meant for the Bundelkhand region after Uttar Pradesh government approached us. We have been experimenting since 2018,” said Agarwal. For more experiments, we require the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s permission. We are arranging a meeting with them soon.”
