E-Paper
When will Delhi get artificial rain? CM Rekha Gupta talks cloud seeding amid poor AQI
Following the festival of Diwali, the air quality for Delhi-NCR reached the 'severe category'.
Amid the rising air pollution levels following the festival of Diwali, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Friday deemed cloud seeding a “necessity” for the national capital. The BJP leader's remarks come a day after she announced artificial rain plans for the national capital.
“Cloud seeding is a necessity for Delhi and is the first experiment of its kind. We want to try it in Delhi to see if it can help us control this very serious environmental problem,” CM Gupta was quoted as saying by ANI.
“So the blessings of the people of Delhi are with the government, and we feel that this will be a successful experiment and in future, we will be able to overcome these environmental problems,” she added further.
Delhi to experience artificial rain on Oct 29
After conducting a test in the Burari area of New Delhi, chief minister Rekha Gupta stated that if the weather conditions remain favourable, the national capital will witness its first artificial rain next week.
"According to the weather department, cloudy conditions are expected on October 28, 29, and 30. If the weather remains favourable, Delhi is likely to witness its first artificial rain on October 29," read a post she made on X.
"This initiative is not only technologically historic but also establishes a scientific approach to combatting pollution in Delhi. The government aims to clean the capital's air and balance its environment through this innovation," Gupta added further.
Delhi AQI takes major hit
Following the festival of Diwali, with the bursting of firecrackers across the national capital and neighbouring regions, the air quality for Delhi-NCR reached the 'severe category'.
While the onset of winter season is accompanied with a rise in air pollution, as per experts, the air over the capital transformed from being dominated by photochemical pollutants like ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the first 19 days to particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in the past four days.
Also Read | Delhi AQI remains in ‘poor’ to ‘severe’ category as govt prepares for artificial rain on October 29
Experts told HT that this data points to a sharp rise in combustion-driven emissions – primarily firecrackers, and aided by emissions from vehicles, industries, and local burning.
From October 20 onwards, the day of Diwali, ozone and carbon monoxide disappeared from the AQI charts, replaced by particulate matter.
