New Delhi, the capital of India, is facing an air quality crisis that has led authorities to test for the first time the method called “cloud seeding“.
This system involves weather modification to induce artificial rain and remove pollutant particles from the air.
The precipitation is generated with chemicals sprayed from airplanes, which Indian authorities tested last Thursday.
For this, a single-engine Cessna aircraft was used, flying over Burari, north of the capital, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
“A cloud seeding test flight was conducted,” reported Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Delhi’s Environment Minister.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that “if conditions remain favorable, Delhi will experience its first artificial rain on October 29.”
The air crisis in the Indian capital that “cloud seeding” seeks to tackle
The megacity, with over 30 million inhabitants, regularly ranks among the most polluted capitals on the planet.
India has six of the ten most polluted cities globally, and New Delhi is the most polluted capital, according to an IQAir report.
Every winter, cold air gets trapped under a layer of warmer air, forming a sort of “cap” that prevents the toxic cloud from dissipating.
This pollution is generated by factories, automobile traffic, and agricultural burning in nearby states.
According to a series of studies, levels of PM2.5 microparticles, the most dangerous because they penetrate the bloodstream, reach up to 60 times the maximum daily level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) on some days.
Since the beginning of the week, pollution has increased especially after Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
During these celebrations, residents launch fireworks, colored powders, and firecrackers that are highly polluting.
Cloud seeding: scientists’ doubts
Due to these concerning numbers, authorities have imposed construction bans, restricted diesel generators, and deployed water sprayers and anti-smog cannons to control the haze.
Now, cloud seeding is the new bet against this threat.
However, it generates doubts among the scientific community.
For example, Krishna Achuta Rao, a professor at the atmospheric sciences center of the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, considers cloud seeding to reduce pollution as ineffective.
According to specialists, “it can only dissipate pollution for a few days, after which air quality returns to its previous state.”
The weather modification method has already been used in the past in drought-prone regions.
The western United States and the United Arab Emirates, for example, have used it, but its effectiveness remains uncertain.
According to specialists, actions that aim to mitigate the effects after they have already affected the region are not enough.
Critics argue that a long-term solution is needed to drastically reduce the pollution itself.
Rao stated that implementing strict laws that result in emission reductions from all sources, including industries, vehicle pollution, and construction, is the only way to clean India’s air.
“Cloud seeding is not really a cure. The main purpose seems to be to show people that something is being done,” he commented.
