New Delhi: The problem of air pollution continues to plague Delhi, and the authorities may reportedly once again resort to artificial rain to curb that issue. According to a report by the NDTV, IIT Kanpur has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for permission to conduct cloud seeding trials between April and June to bring about the artificial rain over the national capital.
This is going to be another fresh attempt to test if the chances of bringing on artificial rain can be increased by pre-monsoon conditions. Last year, the Delhi government and IIT Kanpur rolled out the cloud seeding project and formalised it through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to fight the menace of pollution.
What is cloud seeding?
Cloud seeding is a type of weather modification that aims to change the amount or type of precipitation, mitigate hail, or disperse fog. The usual objective is to increase rain or snow, either for its own sake or to prevent precipitation from occurring in days afterward. It is undertaken by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei. Common agents include silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice, with hygroscopic materials like table salt gaining popularity due to their ability to attract moisture.
The trials for artificial rain in Delhi
The trials for the artificial rain was delayed for months as unfavourable weather and regulatory clearances proved to be major hurdles. Finally, in late October 2025, two rounds of trials as the aircraft released a mix of silver iodide, iodised salt and rock salt into cloud systems over parts of Delhi. The efforts proved to be unsuccessful with IIT Kanpur citing low moisture levels in the clouds as the reason for the failure. According to experts, cloud seeding can only works in the presence of sufficient cloud mass and humidity and cannot create clouds. More trials were reportedly done earlier this year in Delhi.