- By Nidhi Giri
- Wed, 29 Oct 2025 12:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Delhi Air Pollution: Delhi's artificial rain trial has been put on hold for Wednesday, October 29, a day after cloud seeding activity attempts failed to produce the results in the national capital. According to the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, the decision has been taken as a result of "insufficient moisture in the clouds".
Delhi Conducted Cloud Seeding After 53 Years
Delhi witnessed cloud seeding trials on Tuesday after a gap of 53 years with the government aimed to induce artificial rain amid surging air pollution levels in the national capital. However, the weather department did not record any traces of rainfall in the city after the cloud seeding activity, leaving people guessing whether the trial was successful. The government said it was successful as the AQI (Air Quality Index) dropped significantly post-cloud seeding in the areas where the trial was conducted.
Why No Rain After Cloud Seeding?
IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agarwal, while speaking to NDTV, explained why the trial failed to induce rainfall. The Delhi government collaborated with the IIT Kanpur to carry out the experiment in the capital city. The moisture content in the clouds was low, which was the reason why it could not trigger rain, he added.
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The mixture used by the officials has only 20 per cent silver iodide and the rest is a combination of rock salt and common salt for firing 14 flares in the sky, he said.
AAP Targets BJP Over Cloud Seeding Exercise
The opposition AAP mocked the exercise, calling it a tactic to "steal Lord Indra's (rain god's) credit", even as the BJP hailed the move to tackle the pollution crisis. The first trial was completed by 2 pm on Tuesday and for the second trial, the flight took off from Meerut around 4 pm and completed the trial in an hour.