Watch | Delhi deploys water sprinklers at India Gate as air quality worsens ahead of Diwali

The Delhi government on Sunday (Oct 19) deployed water sprinklers at the India Gate as pollution levels continue to rise in the Indian national capital ahead of Diwali. The Air Quality Index around India Gate was recorded at 269 on Wednesday morning, placing it firmly in the ‘Poor’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This comes as the NCR region gears up for its first artificial rain experiment as authorities step up measures to tackle the city’s persistent air pollution. You can watch a video of it here:

Artificial rain

On Wednesday (Oct 15), Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced that cloud seeding — a method of inducing artificial rain — is ready to be carried out as soon as the Meteorological Department gives the go-ahead, likely a day or so after Diwali. Addressing a press conference, Sirsa said that the Delhi government has "got everything" it needs to carry out cloud seeding. He added that two pilots have already familiarised themselves with the designated area during a four-day trial.

He explained the process in detail: "When the Meteorological Department gives us the green signal in the next 2-3 days, a sample of the cloud seeding will be taken after blasting/spraying it. We're waiting for clouds to appear soon."

"The day after Diwali, or the next day, whenever the weather department gives us permission, we will do it. Whenever they give us permission, we'll take a plane and get permission to fly within three hours. We've already got everything we need to do the cloud seeding," Sirsa added.

This initiative follows months of planning, after Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier promised that the national capital would soon experience artificial rain. The experiment is part of a pilot project in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, formalised through a memorandum of understanding.