New Delhi [India], October 28 : Delhi is expected to witness its first artificial rain, as the aircraft designated for cloud seeding has taken off from Kanpur for the national capital.
Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa confirmed the development.
Cloud seeding involves artificially generating rainfall by introducing specific particles, such as silver iodide crystals or salt-based compounds, into moisture-laden clouds.
Aircraft are used to disperse these particles, which condense smaller cloud droplets into larger raindrops, potentially leading to precipitation.
Post-Diwali, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) has been reeling under the 'poor' and 'very poor' categories in several areas, even as Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) remains in effect.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in Delhi stood at 304 as of 1 pm on Tuesday, classified as the 'very poor' category.
Among the city's monitoring stations, Anand Vihar reported an AQI of 311, RK Puram 316, Siri Fort 347, Bawana 334, Burari Crossing 319, Dwarka Sector 8 311, Mundka 318, Narela 302 and Punjabi Bagh 313 -- all categorised as 'very poor'.
Last week, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described cloud seeding as a necessity for the national capital and a pioneering step toward addressing the city's persistent environmental challenges.
Speaking to ANI, Rekha Gupta said, "Cloud seeding is a necessity for Delhi and is the first experiment of its kind. We want to try it in Delhi to see if it can help us control this very serious environmental problem."
She added, "So the blessings of the people of Delhi are with the government, and we feel that this will be a successful experiment and in the future, we will be able to overcome these environmental problems."