New Delhi: In a groundbreaking move to address Delhi’s chronic air pollution crisis, the Delhi government, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, is set to conduct its first-ever artificial rain through cloud seeding. Scheduled between July 4 and 11, 2025, this innovative initiative, titled Technology Demonstration and Evaluation of Cloud Seeding as an Alternative for Delhi NCR Pollution Mitigation, aims to cleanse the city’s toxic air and provide temporary relief to its more than 30 million residents.

Why Delhi Needs Artificial Rain
Delhi, often ranked among the world’s most polluted cities, faces severe air quality challenges, particularly during winter months when the Air Quality Index (AQI) can soar above 800 and, in some areas, exceed 1,000. These levels are more than 20 times higher than the World Health Organization’s safe limits, leading to increased risks of respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and premature deaths. The city also experiences school closures and economic disruptions during severe smog episodes. Even in July 2025, Delhi’s AQI ranges from 80 to 120, posing risks to vulnerable groups despite being lower than winter peaks.
The arrival of monsoon rains in late June 2025 has provided temporary relief from both heat and pollution, but authorities see this as an ideal window to test cloud seeding. The presence of moisture-rich clouds during the monsoon makes it feasible to trigger artificial rainfall, which could wash away dangerous pollutants from the atmosphere. The Delhi government, under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, views this as a “historic step” in urban pollution control, with Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa emphasizing, “Our aim is to give Delhiites clean air. That’s why we’re taking this bold step of artificial rain. We are hopeful it will bring meaningful change.”
What is Cloud Seeding?
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique designed to enhance precipitation from clouds, commonly referred to as artificial rain. It involves dispersing chemicals such as silver iodide, potassium iodide, iodized salt, rock salt, or dry ice into the atmosphere using aircraft or helicopters. These chemicals act as nuclei, attracting water vapor to form rain clouds. There are two main types of cloud seeding:
- Hygroscopic Cloud Seeding: This method accelerates the merging of water droplets in liquid clouds, promoting rainfall.
- Glaciogenic Cloud Seeding: This technique induces ice formation in supercooled clouds, leading to precipitation.
For Delhi’s pilot project, IIT Kanpur has developed a special seeding mixture containing silver iodide nanoparticles, iodized salt, and rock salt. This formulation will be dispersed using flare-based systems on modified Cessna aircraft, with each sortie lasting approximately 90 minutes and covering about 100 square kilometers in low-security air zones in northwest and outer Delhi.
How Will the Cloud Seeding Operation Work?
The cloud seeding operation, coordinated by IIT Kanpur and India’s weather bureau, will involve five aircraft sorties between July 4 and 11, 2025, subject to favorable weather conditions. A flight window has been proposed, as conditions are unsuitable until July 3. The flight plan has been submitted to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Pune for technical coordination, and a proposal has been sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) requesting an alternative window in case weather conditions remain unfavorable.
Each sortie will target moisture-laden clouds above Delhi’s outskirts, dispersing the seeding mixture to catalyze droplet formation and trigger rainfall. The goal is to wash pollutants and dust from the atmosphere, providing temporary relief from the city’s hazardous air quality. The operation will cover roughly 100 square kilometers per flight, focusing on areas where air traffic restrictions are minimal.
Benefits of Cloud Seeding
Cloud seeding offers several potential benefits, not only for pollution control but also for broader environmental and agricultural purposes. These include:
- Enhancing Rainfall in Drought-Prone Areas: Successful examples, such as Dubai’s cloud seeding project, demonstrate how artificial rain can address water scarcity.
- Supporting Agriculture: Rainfall during dry spells can improve crop yields and boost farmer incomes, particularly in water-stressed regions.
- Regulating Weather Conditions: Cloud seeding can help control water vapor to reduce damage from hail, storms, or heavy snowfall in winter.
- Reducing Air Pollution: By triggering rainfall, cloud seeding can clear pollutants and dust from the atmosphere, improving air quality.
- Additional Applications: The technique can aid in wildfire mitigation and enhance winter snowfall for tourism or water resource management.
Countries like the UAE, China, and the United States have used cloud seeding to increase rainfall by 5 to 15 percent under suitable conditions, reduce hail damage, or clear fog. In Delhi’s case, the primary focus is pollution mitigation, but the data gathered from this pilot could inform future applications.
Risks and Challenges of Cloud Seeding
While cloud seeding holds promise, experts caution that it is not a guaranteed solution and comes with potential risks. These include:
- Floods and Landslides: Excessive rainfall triggered by cloud seeding could lead to flash floods and landslides, particularly in vulnerable areas.
- Disruption of Natural Weather Patterns: The technique may alter weather cycles, potentially causing droughts in other regions.
- Environmental Damage: Chemicals like silver iodide can contaminate lakes, rivers, and soil, affecting aquatic life and biodiversity.
- Health Risks: Chemical buildup in ecosystems could harm plants, animals, and human health over time.
Experts emphasize that cloud seeding offers only temporary relief from pollution if root causes, such as emissions from vehicles, construction, and crop burning, are not addressed. Sustained efforts to curb these sources are essential for lasting air quality improvements in Delhi.
Political Context and Past Attempts
The cloud seeding initiative has sparked political controversy. The current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Delhi, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, has accused the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of failing to execute a similar plan in 2024. Former Environment Minister Gopal Rai had proposed artificial rain to combat winter pollution but faced bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of central government approvals, leaving the project in limbo.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj recently claimed the cloud seeding idea originated with his party, accusing the BJP and the central government of blocking pollution-control efforts. In response, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa stated, “We were the ones who signed the MoU first, made all the payments to IIT Kanpur, and applied for the necessary approvals because we want to take real action. They didn’t do anything except talk about artificial rain.”
The current trial is the first to secure the necessary authorizations and funding, enabling Delhi to evaluate the feasibility of cloud seeding under its unique climatic conditions. Sirsa described the effort as a “landmark development,” highlighting the government’s commitment to delivering clean air to Delhiites.
Why Now?
The timing of the cloud seeding trial is strategic. The monsoon season provides moisture-rich clouds, which are ideal for cloud seeding. Conducting the operation now allows authorities to gather critical data on its effectiveness before winter, when Delhi’s air pollution typically reaches crisis levels. The trial’s results could guide future interventions, especially during the severe smog episodes that plague the city from November to January.
Expert Perspectives and Global Context
Experts caution that while cloud seeding can provide short-term relief, it is not a silver bullet for Delhi’s air pollution crisis. Studies suggest the technique can boost precipitation by 5 to 15 percent under optimal conditions, but its success depends on weather patterns and cloud composition. In Delhi, the monsoon’s favorable conditions increase the likelihood of success, but the operation’s impact on air quality remains uncertain.
Globally, cloud seeding has been used with varying degrees of success. The UAE has employed it to address water scarcity, while China has used it to ensure clear skies for major events. In the United States, it has been used to enhance snowfall and reduce hail damage. However, the technique’s environmental and ecological impacts remain a subject of ongoing research, and Delhi’s experiment will contribute valuable data to this field.
The Way Forward
The Delhi government’s cloud seeding initiative represents a bold and innovative step toward addressing one of the city’s most pressing challenges. However, its success depends on scientific rigor, environmental safeguards, and clear regulations. The data collected from the July 2025 trial will help authorities assess whether cloud seeding can be a viable tool for pollution mitigation and other applications, such as water resource management and agricultural support.
For lasting improvements, experts stress the need for comprehensive strategies to reduce emissions from vehicles, construction, and crop burning. Cloud seeding, while promising, is a supplementary measure that must be paired with systemic reforms to ensure clean air for Delhi’s residents.
Conclusion
Delhi’s first-ever artificial rain through cloud seeding, scheduled for July 4-11, 2025, marks a historic milestone in the fight against air pollution. Led by IIT Kanpur and backed by the Delhi government, this ambitious project aims to provide cleaner air to the city’s residents while gathering critical data on the feasibility of weather modification. As the national capital takes this bold step, the world watches closely to see whether cloud seeding can offer a viable solution to one of the most polluted cities on Earth. For Delhiites, this initiative represents hope for a breath of fresh air in a city long choked by smog.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is cloud seeding, and how does it help combat air pollution in Delhi?
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that enhances precipitation by dispersing chemicals like silver iodide, iodized salt, or rock salt into clouds using aircraft. These chemicals act as nuclei to attract water vapor, forming rain clouds. In Delhi, scheduled for July 4-11, 2025, this initiative aims to trigger artificial rain to wash pollutants and dust from the atmosphere, providing temporary relief from the city’s hazardous air quality, which often exceeds safe limits, especially in winter when the Air Quality Index (AQI) can surpass 800.
2. Why is Delhi conducting its cloud seeding operation in July 2025?
The timing is strategic due to the monsoon season, which provides moisture-rich clouds ideal for cloud seeding. Conducting the trial between July 4 and 11, 2025, allows the Delhi government and IIT Kanpur to test the technique’s effectiveness under favorable conditions and gather data before winter, when air pollution reaches crisis levels. The monsoon’s recent arrival has also slightly improved air quality, making it an opportune moment to evaluate this pollution mitigation strategy.
3. What are the potential benefits of cloud seeding for Delhi?
Cloud seeding offers multiple benefits, including:
Other Uses: It can aid in wildfire mitigation and boost winter snowfall for water resources. In Delhi, the primary focus is to improve air quality for its over 30 million residents.
Reducing Air Pollution: Rainfall can clear pollutants and dust from the atmosphere.
Supporting Agriculture: Artificial rain during dry spells can improve crop yields.
Addressing Water Scarcity: It can enhance rainfall in drought-prone areas, as seen in projects like Dubai’s.
Regulating Weather: It may reduce damage from hail, storms, or heavy snowfall.
4. What are the risks associated with cloud seeding in Delhi?
While promising, cloud seeding carries potential risks:
Health Risks: Chemical buildup may affect plants, animals, and ecosystems, posing indirect risks to human health. Experts note that cloud seeding is a temporary measure and not a substitute for addressing pollution sources like vehicle emissions and crop burning.
Floods and Landslides: Excessive rainfall could trigger flash floods or landslides in vulnerable areas.
Disrupted Weather Patterns: It may alter natural weather cycles, potentially causing droughts elsewhere.
Environmental Concerns: Chemicals like silver iodide can contaminate water bodies and soil, harming aquatic life and biodiversity.
5. Who is leading the cloud seeding initiative, and what is its political context?
The project, titled Technology Demonstration and Evaluation of Cloud Seeding as an Alternative for Delhi NCR Pollution Mitigation, is spearheaded by IIT Kanpur in collaboration with the Delhi Environment Department under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has called it a “historic step.” Politically, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government claims credit for securing approvals and funding, accusing the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of failing to execute a similar plan in 2024 due to bureaucratic hurdles. AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj has countered that the idea originated with his party, sparking a political debate over credit for the initiative.