The Delhi government is considering new cloud-seeding experiments to induce artificial rain as the national capital faces another bout of severe air pollution. According to reports, two trial runs have already been conducted near the airport. The initiative is being explored to mitigate the city’s ongoing pollution crisis, although previous attempts to use the technology have yielded limited results.
IIT Kanpur is currently evaluating weather conditions to determine the feasibility of a larger operation. Experts associated with the institute indicated that the experiment requires specific meteorological conditions, including sufficient cloud cover and humidity, to have any chance of success. Without these favorable atmospheric states, implementing the technology is not possible.
The current proposal follows a similar effort on October 28, 2025, when a team from IIT-Kanpur deployed a small aircraft to release silver iodide and salt particles into the air. During those trials, eight flares, each weighing approximately 2 to 2.5 kg, were used to target clouds with 15% to 20% humidity. However, that experiment did not result in significant rainfall; Noida and Greater Noida recorded only 0.3 mm, and Delhi received none.
Analysis from that period suggested the air quality improvements observed during the 2025 trials began hours before the operation occurred. Pollution levels were observed to fluctuate and increase even after the flares were dispersed, raising questions about the efficacy of the method in Delhi’s specific environment.
Key facts
- IIT Kanpur is currently assessing weather and cloud cover for potential new seeding trials.
- Two test runs have reportedly been conducted near the Delhi airport.
- The 2025 experiment utilized silver iodide and salt particles via flares attached to aircraft.
- Previous trials in 2025 failed to produce measurable rain in Delhi, with negligible precipitation in neighboring areas.
Background
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that introduces substances like silver iodide or sodium chloride into clouds to act as condensation nuclei. The practice, which dates back to laboratory experiments conducted in 1946 by Vincent Schaefer, has historically been used in India to address drought-like conditions.
Source: Indian Express, News18
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