Cruel joke: Congress takes swipe at Delhi government over cloud seeding

Jairam Ramesh said the Delhi government has spent Rs 34 crore on a winter cloud seeding experiment in order to improve air quality.

New Delhi: Congress on Sunday called the Delhi government's cloud seeding experiment for improving air quality a "cruel joke" and a "headline-grabbing measure", saying there is "overwhelming scientific consensus" raising "so many doubts and serious questions" on its efficacy.

General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh cited the government's reply in Rajya Sabha in December last year and Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi report released on October 31 to say that cloud seeding will not help in improving air quality.

Ramesh said the Delhi government has spent Rs 34 crore on a winter cloud seeding experiment in order to improve air quality.

On December 5 last year, he said, the Union Minister of State of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change had answered a question in the Rajya Sabha saying that three specialised agencies the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCT, the Central Pollution Control Board, and the Indian Meteorological Department had clearly advised against winter cloud seeding to improve air quality in Delhi.

Then on October 31 that is "just day before yesterday" the well-known and prestigious Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi issued a detailed report on the subject which makes it clear that winter cloud seeding "will not help improve the atrocious air quality" in Delhi in any significant manner.

"Winter cloud seeding certainly looks very dramatic and gives the impression that something is demonstrably being done by the Govt. But when the overwhelming scientific consensus raises so many doubts and serious questions on its efficacy, is it wise to lay so much store by it except as a headline-grabbing measure?" he posted on 'X'.

"Getting 'slight improvement in a limited area for a day or two' as is now being claimed is really a cruel joke," he added.

Two days ago, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said "science-driven action and enforcement" are delivering results as the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) showed a substantial decline while denying allegations of data tampering.