Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday said that a second cloud seeding trial for artificial rain will also be held in the national capital today.
The minister said that the process for the trial would commence at approximately 3pm and more details would be shared subsequently. Follow LIVE updates.
“Second trial to be conducted later today in outer Delhi,” the minister said. “Nine to ten trials are planned over the next few days.”
Earlier today, the first cloud seeding trial for the day was completed in northwest Delhi. The trial was conducted over Khekra, Burari, Mayur Vihar, North Karol Bagh, Sadakpur and Bhojpur.
A special flight from Kanpur flew over designated areas in the region to release the seeding material. The flight then landed in Meerut.
{{/usCountry}}A special flight from Kanpur flew over designated areas in the region to release the seeding material. The flight then landed in Meerut.
{{/usCountry}}"The Cessna aircraft took off from Kanpur. It released eight fire flares, and the trial lasted for half an hour," Sirsa said in a video statement.
The minister added that IIT-Kanpur has opined that rain could happen within 15 minutes to 4 hours after the trial.
Also Read | Watch | Aircraft takes off from Kanpur for cloud seeding over parts of Delhi
Sirsa said that if the trials are successful, the Delhi government will prepare a long-term plan for artificial rain to tackle pollution in the national capital.
"This is a huge step taken by the government to mitigate pollution. If trials are successful, we will prepare a long-term plan," the minister added.
Tuesday's trial marks the second attempt at cloud seeding over Delhi. The first was carried out last week over Burari. However, it was unable to induce rain due to low atmospheric moisture of less than 20 per cent. At least 50 per cent is required to induce artificial rain.
What is cloud seeding?
Cloud seeding refers to the artificial induction of rainfall by introducing particles, such as silver iodide crystals or salt-based compounds, into moisture-laden clouds.
Flights are used to disperse these particles, which condense smaller cloud droplets into larger raindrops, possibly leading to precipitation. For Delhi, the flight took off from Kanpur.