The aircraft to be used for the first cloud-seeding trial in the national capital takes off from Kanpur.
Credit: PTI Photo
The Delhi government’s experiment with artificial rain has failed, with two attempts at cloud seeding producing no rain on Tuesday. Another attempt, planned for Wednesday, was shelved. Executed with technical assistance from IIT Kanpur in the wake of the elevated post-Diwali air pollution levels in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Rs-3.20 crore drive was expected to wash away the toxic smog but did not produce even a drizzle in the target areas. There was political squabbling over the matter between the ruling BJP and the Opposition parties, mainly the AAP. This is a familiar blame game over pollution, which peaks during the winter due to multiple reasons: weather, rubble-burning in Punjab and Haryana, and the fireworks during Diwali.
The decision to allow the use of green crackers this year during Diwali was misguided. Pollution levels shot up and have stayed high ever since. Even as the administration claimed the levels had come down, the Opposition said it was because tankers sprayed water around the sensors at the air quality monitoring stations. Artificial rain is created by seeding clouds with chemicals. It works only under certain conditions, such as heavy cloud cover, adequate moisture and humidity, and favourable wind patterns. It has been tried within the country and outside, but the results have not been promising. China, Thailand, and the UAE have reported some success, but only when the timing and the conditions were right. Delhi’s dry atmosphere and low humidity are not considered suitable for this experiment. States such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have also tried cloud seeding to create rain in drought-affected areas, but the attempts have not always been successful. There has always been a debate around the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the exercise. Its long-term effects are also not known; some scientists have expressed concerns over the attempts to influence natural processes.
Creation of artificial rain is an attempt to reduce pollution after polluting the air. The best way to fight pollution is not to pollute at all, as revealed in the experience of cities that have reduced pollution, such as Beijing. Reducing vehicular and industrial emissions, ensuring clean construction activity, and quick and efficient disposal and management of waste are the best means to curb pollution. Some cities will have to deal with factors that are local and specific to their conditions. The Delhi administration has claimed that the presence of particulate matter has come down, but that has also been contested.