Delhi may see artificial rain today if clouds are spotted over the capital
The air quality index in Delhi stands at 308, placing it in the very poor category
IIT Kanpur sources said an aircraft fitted with cloud-seeding equipment is ready for the operation
Delhi may see artificial rain today as a thick layer of smog continues to engulf the city, with the air quality index at 308 in the "very poor" category. An attempt will be made if clouds are spotted over the capital, an NDTV report stated citing sources.
An aircraft fitted with cloud-seeding equipment is reportedly ready at IIT Kanpur while another aircraft is on standby in Delhi. The aircraft can reach Delhi in about an hour and depending on the height of the clouds, the plane could be activated.
The report, citing IIT Kanpur sources said that the operation depends on how much moisture is present in the air. That matters because Delhi has no rain at present and no rain forecast either. Experts have suggested cloud seeding, or induced rain, as a way to bring down pollution levels when weather conditions allow it.
What Cloud Seeding Means
Cloud seeding is the process of adding substances such as silver iodide and dry ice to clouds to trigger rain or snow. It is used in areas facing water scarcity or less snowfall and can also help reduce hail and clear fog.
It can be done through airplanes, rockets or ground-based machines. In Delhi's case, the immediate aim is to use artificial rain to wash out some of the pollutants hanging over the city.
But experts warn it is only a temporary step. "We aren't tackling pollution at the source, so cloud seeding will not help reduce pollution levels in the long run. We can deploy it on days when pollution levels skyrocket, for example, a day after Diwali, but it isn't a solution," Sunil Dahiya, Founder and Lead Analyst at Envirocatalysts, had told NDTV.
Earlier Delhi Trials
Delhi has tried this before. On November 5, reports said the Delhi government had conducted two rounds of cloud-seeding trials near the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the last 15 days to explore artificial rain as a possible measure against rising air pollution.
Those trials were carried out at an altitude of about 30,000 metres. That was far higher than the roughly 10,000 metres used for cloud-seeding operations last year.
The project began last year under a collaboration between the Delhi government and IIT Kanpur, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, as an emergency measure during peak pollution episodes. After months of delays caused by unfavourable weather and regulatory clearances, two rounds of trials were held in late October 2025, but they did not produce results.
IIT Kanpur attributed that outcome to low moisture in the clouds with the institute finding out that conditions were not conducive to precipitation.
