Bad weather conditions have halted Delhi's first artificial rain trial, even as the aircraft fitted with cloud-seeding equipment for the experiment stands ready in Meerut, officials said on Monday. The deferred trial will be conducted as soon as weather conditions improve.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa along with officials of the environment department and a technical team from IIT Kanpur inspected the aircraft on Monday to ensure all systems required for the trial were in place, an official familiar with the matter said.
Sirsa said the trial could be conducted "any day" once the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirms a clear-weather window. "As soon as we get the signal that there will be no rain, the trial will be carried out," he said.
The first cloud-seeding trial, earlier scheduled for this week, was postponed after the national capital received intermittent rainfall due to a western disturbance. Sirsa said the existing moisture and natural precipitation would have affected the outcome."We want to carry out the experiment under dry and stable weather conditions to obtain accurate results," he said. He added, "Although rain was forecast earlier, we want to ensure that the experiment is conducted in a scientifically sound manner."
"Our objective is to explore the feasibility of cloud-seeding as a tool to combat severe air pollution and improve the city’s air quality during the winter months," the minister said.Delhi has been preparing for the artificial rain project in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to assess the potential of cloud-seeding in dispersing pollutants and reducing smog during the peak pollution period. Additionally, the government recently signed an MoU with IIT Kanpur for five such trials to be conducted in northwest Delhi.
The project, cleared by 23 departments, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), aims to examine whether cloud-seeding can help tackle pollution during the winter months. Funds have already been transferred to IIT Kanpur, which will deploy its aircraft for the operation.Earlier attempts to hold the trial had to be postponed due to active monsoon conditions, which made it difficult to distinguish between natural and induced rainfall. Officials said the final schedule will depend on the IMD providing a clear weather window.
At the end of September, Delhi's environment minister had said that the first cloud-seeding trial would be held in northwest Delhi between October 7 and 9. However, according to the IMD's weekly forecast, thunderstorms and rain were predicted between October 5 and 7.The operations are authorised from October 1 to November 30 and will be carried out under strict safety, security, and air traffic guidelines. The clearance, issued under Rule 26(2) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, allows IIT Kanpur’s Department of Aerospace Engineering to carry out the activity using a Cessna 206-H aircraft.The date for the cloud-seeding trials has already seen multiple postponements.
The operation is being carried out by the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kanpur, in coordination with experts from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), using a Cessna 206-H aircraft (VT-IIT).
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