• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Delhi Artificial Rain: The Delhi government is all set to conduct the first Artificial Rain in the national capital on October 29. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that “cloud seeding”, a process to inject water in clouds, has become a necessity for Delhi, given the deteriorating air quality, which plummeted to the “poor” and “very poor” categories after Diwali celebrations.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday announced that cloud seeding will take place on October 29, as there will be clouds over the national capital from October 28 to October 30.

“As per the meteorological department, there will be clouds above Delhi on 28, 29, and 30 October. Delhi government is absolutely ready with physical trials and permissions to induce artificial rain on 29 October," Sirsa said.

Sirsa said that the officials from IIT Delhi conducted a major cloud seeding experiment on Thursday. "A Cessna aircraft conducted cloud seeding on small clouds in Burari. Now we are waiting for rain to be induced through cloud seeding around the 29th. All preparations have been made so that as soon as the clouds arrive, they can be seeded and rain can be induced," Sirsa said.

Sirsa highlighted that the project, which aims to simulate artificial rainfall and remove pollutants, depends on suitable atmospheric conditions. "Previous governments only talked; we actually did the groundwork in seven months: approvals, agreements, MOUs, consultations with scientists and arrangements with pilots and aircraft," Sirsa added.

ALSO READ: Paan, Toddy And Power: The Fearless Saga Of Bihar's Only Muslim CM 'Chacha' Ghafoor

What Is Cloud Seeding?

The process of cloud seeding is a weather modification technique where substances like silver iodide, potassium iodide, dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), liquid propane, or salts are injected into the clouds. These substances act as ice nuclei, providing a surface for water vapour to condense or freeze around, forming raindrops or snowflakes that then fall to the ground.

After cloud seeding takes place, the newly formed snowflakes quickly grow and fall from the clouds back to the surface of the Earth. Depending on the temperature, it increases snowfall in some areas while in other areas, these snowflakes melt to form rain. 

The process is carried out in specialised aircraft. The process was first done during the 1980s in Tamil Nadu to solve the drought situation within the state. Besides tackling drought-prone situations, cloud seeding is also done to disperse fog and smog blankets. 

ALSO READ: 'Mahagathbandhan Leaders Out On Bail, Will Bring Jungle Raj': PM Modi Kickstarts Bihar Poll Campaign | Top Quotes

How Does Cloud Seeding Help Reduce Air Pollution?

  • The introduction of particles like silver iodine in the sky, the process encourages water vapour to condense and fall as rain. 

  • This washes fine particulate matter like PM 2.5 and PM 10, along with dust and other pollutants from the air. 

  • The rainfall also does not allow pollutants and dust particles to settle in the sky, thereby removing the blanket cover that hovers over the sky. 

ALSO READ: Bihar Railway News: No Sale Of Platform Tickets At THESE Stations To Manage Chhath Puja Rush; Details

Are There Any Limitations Of Cloud Seeding?

  • Cloud seeding can only be done in places where clouds are already there in the sky with sufficient amounts of moisture. However, in dry places, this process remains completely ineffective. 

  • Chemicals used in cloud seeding, such as silver iodide, also accumulate in soil and water, thereby harming the local ecosystems. 

  • Persistent use of cloud seeding to alter weather patterns can also prove detrimental to the climatic conditions of any particular area over a long period of time.

Also In News