Delhi's Cloud-Seeding: A Rain Dance to Combat Pollution

The Delhi government, collaborating with IIT-Kanpur, has launched cloud-seeding trials to tackle air pollution. Despite environmentalists labeling it a short-term measure, the trials aim to generate artificial rain and improve air quality. Multiple such exercises are planned, pending favorable atmospheric conditions, with hopes of long-term strategies.

In a pioneering move to combat rising pollution, the Delhi government, backed by IIT-Kanpur, launched cloud-seeding trials over the capital. The initiative, spearheaded by Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, aims to induce artificial rain, providing temporary relief from deteriorating air conditions.

The trials involve releasing chemical flares from aircraft to stimulate precipitation. Environmentalists, however, criticize the initiative as a band-aid approach that fails to address the core pollution issues. Despite the controversy, Delhi plans several more trials, banking on success to formulate long-term solutions by February.

Operating within a 25-nautical-mile stretch, the project received extensive governmental clearances. Though the trials have faced weather-related delays, officials remain optimistic about improving Delhi's air quality through scientific intervention during peak pollution months.

(With inputs from agencies.)