Delhi artificial rain prep begins: Aircraft departs from Kanpur for cloudseeding, trial underway

Delhi Environment MinisterManjinder Singh Sirsa said that an aircraft has taken off from Kanpur to carry out cloud seeding in Delhi, according to a report by news agency ANI. Meanwhile, officials told HT that the flight will conduct the operation directly over the northwest region near Burari before landing in Meerut.

Earlier in the day, Sirsa stated that the government planned to conduct its first cloud seeding exercise, provided weather conditions were suitable. The Cessna aircraft was scheduled to take off from the IIT Kanpur airstrip around 12:30 p.m., contingent on visibility improving from 2,000 metres to 5,000 metres. However, visibility in Delhi also remained poor, potentially affecting the operation.

Delhi Minister confirmed that the second trial of cloud seeding has also been carried out in the national capital by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur after the Cessna aircraft took off earlier today for Delhi.

“The second trial of cloud seeding has been done in Delhi. This was done by IIT Kanpur through Cessna Aircraft. The aircraft entered Delhi from the direction of Meerut. Khekra, Burari, North Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar were covered under this. 8 flares were used in cloud seeding. Each flare weighs 2-2.5 kg,” he said while addressing the media, ANI reported.

He explained that eight flares were used in the process, each weighing between 2 and 2.5 kilograms. “These flares released content in clouds. The clouds had 15-20% humidity. The process continued for half an hour and during this, one flare continued for 2-2.5 minutes...The aircraft has now landed in Meerut. Second sortie and third trial will be undertaken today itself...As per IMD, winds are headed north and clouds can go anywhere in Outer Delhi. IIT Kanpur believes that there can be rain anywhere between 15 minutes and 4 hours...We hope IIT Kanpur's results will be positive...If it is successful, in the days to come, a long-term plan can be drawn till February. Such sorties will continue in the days to come. 9-10 trials will be done every day as the weather permits," he added.

What is Artificialrain?

Artificialrain, also known as cloud seeding, is a scientific method used to induce rainfall in areas experiencing drought or insufficient precipitation. In this process, certain chemical compoundsare sprayed using aircraft or rockets to encourage the formationof raindrops, making them heavy enough to fall to the ground as rain.

How is cloud seeding processed?

It is introduced by using silver iodide, potassium iodide, or dry ice to seed clouds through rockets, aeroplanes, or ground-based machines, which act as nuclei around which moisture condenses. When water vapour gathers in the cloud around these particles, it forms water droplets which fall as rain after these droplets combine and grow large enough. The process can be natural (when dust or salt particles serve as condensation nuclei) or artificially triggered to enhance rainfall in specific regions.