Delhi to conduct cloud seeding trials in September to fight air air pollution: Environment Minister

Delhi will witness its first cloud seeding trial within the first two weeks of September in a bid to set off synthetic rain and cut back air air pollution ranges, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa stated on Friday (July 18, 2025).

The trials, earlier deliberate for early July, have been postponed after inputs from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), IIT-Kanpur, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, indicated that climate situations in July weren’t conducive for efficient seeding.

The revised window was chosen to coincide with the retreating monsoon, which presents extra appropriate cloud situations.

The Delhi authorities has allotted ₹3.21 crore for this pilot mission, which is being led by the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT-Kanpur.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted operational clearance for the trials. The plane has been outfitted with cloud seeding instrumentation, and its crew holds all of the required licenses and certifications.

Mr. Sirsa clarified that the plane will keep away from prohibited areas and no aerial pictures will probably be performed through the operation in strict adherence to aviation security norms.

“We have taken all the necessary permissions, and the aircraft is fully ready. The cloud seeding will now take place in the first and second week of September,” the Minister stated, including that “the instrumentation work on the aircraft has been completed by IIT-Kanpur, and we are fully prepared.”

The trials, which will probably be performed utilizing a Cessna 206-H plane (VT-IIT), will consist of 5 sorties over pollution-prone areas in north Delhi, together with Rohini, Bawana, Alipur, and Burari, in addition to elements of adjoining Uttar Pradesh, equivalent to Loni and Baghpat.

During the sorties, the plane will fly beneath the cloud base and launch hygroscopic particles — equivalent to sodium chloride and different aerosols — into the clouds to stimulate precipitation. This climate modification method is aimed toward inducing synthetic rain that might assist wash out airborne pollution.

“This is a scientific intervention to fight air air pollution. If profitable, it should open a brand new avenue for Delhi to take care of hazardous air high quality, particularly through the post-monsoon interval,” Mr. Sirsa stated.