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'If we fear failure...': IIT Kanpur director on future of cloud seeding trials in Delhi
IIT Kanpur director said that the data showed a 6–10% reduction in PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations, giving usefull information for future cloud seeding.
IIT Kanpur director Manindra Agrawal commented on the cloud seeding trial over Delhi that failed to induce rain on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, the IIT-K professor said that while they did not get the “desired results,” the process gave them useful information for future cloud seeding trials.
Professor Agrawal said that the data was gathered using the 15 monitoring stations set up across Delhi to measure air pollution and moisture levels. The data, according to him, showed a 6–10% reduction in PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations.
"This shows that even with a very small or low level of moisture in the cloud, when we do the seeding, it does result in some impact, not the impact that one would ideally like to see, but still some impact," he said, adding that this is extremely useful information to plan future seeding.
Talking about the efforts made earlier, he said that the cloud moisture was very low at around 15%. Due to the low moisture content, “the chances of inducing rain were very small, so we did not achieve success in that regard,” he said.
On Tuesday, two aircraft were launched from IIT Kanpur and Meerut airfields managed by the IIT Kanpur expert team. It covered Khekra, Burari, North Karol Bagh, Mayur Vihar, Sadakpur, Bhojpur, and surrounding sectors. Each flare weighed about 0.5 kg, with eight flares released per sortie, dispersing a tested mixture designed to enhance precipitation potential.
IIT Kanpur director on high expenditure of cloud seeding
Talking about the trial being unsuccessful and the high expenditure of cloud seeding, he said that the term ‘experiment’ means it can be successful or unsuccessful. “If we fear failure and don't undertake an experiment, then we will not make progress,” he added.
Also read: Why cloud seeding trials didn't work in Delhi? IIT Kanpur Director explains
He also said that the overall cost of cloud seeding is not much when you look at the amount being spent on pollution control in Delhi. He said that the cost of seeding about 300 sq km area is estimated to be somewhere around 60 lakh rupees, meaning 20 thousand rupees per sq km. If the process is done for the entire winter month, around 25-30 crore will be spent. “The amount of money spent on pollution control in Delhi is much more.”
Meanwhile, the cloud-seeding activity planned for 29 October 2025 has been put on hold due to insufficient moisture in the clouds, as the process is highly dependent on the right atmospheric conditions.
Earlier, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that with this move, the national capital has taken an unprecedented, science-first step by adopting cloud seeding as a tool to control air pollution.
Delhi AQI improved slightly, but remains ‘poor’
Delhi's air quality improved slightly on Wednesday but remained in the "poor" category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall AQI was recorded at 269 at 12 pm. On Tuesday, the city recorded an AQI of 294 at 4 pm, a marginal drop from Monday's reading of 301.
Despite the overall improvement, 11 out of Delhi's 38 monitoring stations continued to record AQI in the "very poor" range with readings above 300 on Wednesday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in the RK Puram area of southwest Delhi remained "very poor" at 308, as of 7:00 am. The AQI at Anand Vihar also remained "very poor" at 307.
