Delhi defers artificial rain experiment project due to ongoing monsoon

The minister confirmed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has granted approval for the trial.

The Delhi government has deferred its first-ever cloud seeding project to late August, citing active monsoon conditions that are not conducive to the experiment, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Tuesday.

Clouds over the Red Fort on Tuesday as the city recorded maximum and minimum at 35.1°C and 25.2°C, respectively. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The minister confirmed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has granted approval for the trial. Besides, a budget of ₹3.21 crore has been allocated for the pilot project, the minister said.

The trials, originally planned between July 4 and July 11, will now be conducted between August 30 and September 10, after inputs from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), IIT-Kanpur, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, indicated that the early-July weather window was unlikely to yield optimal conditions for seeding.

“Cloud seeding trials will be conducted after the monsoon starts to recede. This revised window will allow us to target the right type of clouds and collect accurate scientific data,” Sirsa said at a press briefing, citing a statement from Professor Deepu Philip of IIT-Kanpur, which is leading the project.

Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique in which aircraft disperse hygroscopic particles—such as sodium chloride or other aerosols—into clouds to stimulate precipitation. In Delhi’s case, the project aims to use this technique to trigger artificial rain and help wash pollutants from the air.

The minister said five sorties will fly over north Delhi and surrounding areas, including Rohini, Bawana, Alipur, and Burari, as well as adjoining regions of Uttar Pradesh such as Loni and Baghpat.

HT had reported on Saturday that the government had submitted a detailed report from the IMD to the DGCA, along with a flight path map. The proposed flight would pass over north Delhi, covering areas including Rohini, Bawana, Alipur, and Burari. Adjacent regions in Uttar Pradesh, such as Loni and Baghpat, are also expected to benefit from any resultant rainfall.

The government has allocated ₹3.21 crore for five cloud seeding trials. The operations will be conducted using aircraft cleared by DGCA, with strict adherence to safety norms. “Aircraft will not fly over prohibited areas, and no aerial photography will be conducted during the mission,” Sirsa said.

The trials will be led by the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT-Kanpur, using aircraft number VT-IIT (Cessna 206-H), which has been fully fitted with cloud seeding instrumentation. The flight crew has prior experience in similar missions and holds all necessary licenses and certifications, the minister added.

Explaining the operational process, Sirsa said the aircraft will fly below the cloud base, releasing hygroscopic particles to stimulate rain formation. “This will aid precipitation and help with pollutant washout, which is a key objective of the project,” he said.

This will be Delhi’s first attempt at cloud seeding—a method previously used in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and even internationally in countries such as the UAE and China—to either combat drought or improve air quality.