Delhi to Use Artificial Rain to Fight Air Pollution – Sirsa Confirms July 4–11 Plan

The Delhi government is planning to conduct artificial rain (cloud seeding) to reduce the city’s increasing air pollution. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced that if weather conditions are suitable, the experiment will be conducted between July 4 and 11. This will be the first time Delhi uses cloud seeding as a pollution control method.

Sirsa said that IIT Kanpur has prepared the flight plan and submitted it to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Pune for technical approval. Since conditions are not favorable until July 3, the plan is proposed for the period after that. If the weather is not suitable in that time window, they will request an alternate slot from the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation).

This project is being implemented under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's leadership. Sirsa said, “Our goal is to give Delhi residents clean air. It’s a basic right for every citizen. That’s why we are taking this bold step.” He strongly responded to criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party, saying the current BJP government took real action in just four months, while the previous government only made announcements. He added that BJP was the first to sign the agreement and provide funds to IIT Kanpur.

How Will the Experiment Work?

This project is called "Demonstration and Evaluation of Cloud Seeding for Delhi-NCR Pollution Control." Five small modified planes will be used in low-security air zones over northwest and outer Delhi. These Cessna planes will spray a special chemical mixture over moisture-rich clouds to trigger rainfall. Each flight will last around 90 minutes and cover up to 100 sq. km.

The cloud seeding mixture, developed by IIT Kanpur, contains silver iodide nanoparticles, iodized salt, and rock salt. These substances help form water droplets quickly, which then fall as artificial rain — helping to clean the polluted air.