Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday announced that the national capital is set to experience its first-ever artificial rain through cloud seeding, marking a major technological step in the city’s ongoing battle against air pollution. Preparations for the ambitious project have been completed, and if weather conditions remain favourable, the first artificial rain is likely to occur on October 29.
Gupta, in a post on X, confirmed that experts conducted a successful trial in the Burari area earlier in the day. “For the first time in Delhi, preparations have been completed to induce artificial rain through cloud seeding. This marks a significant technological milestone in the capital’s fight against pollution,” she said. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cloudy conditions between October 28 and 30, creating an ideal window for the operation.
दिल्ली में पहली बार क्लाउड सीडिंग के माध्यम से कृत्रिम वर्षा कराने की तैयारियां पूरी कर ली गई हैं। आज विशेषज्ञों द्वारा बुराड़ी क्षेत्र में इसका सफल परीक्षण किया गया है।
— Rekha Gupta (@gupta_rekha) October 23, 2025
मौसम विभाग ने 28, 29 और 30 अक्टूबर को बादलों की उपस्थिति की संभावना जताई है। यदि परिस्थितियां अनुकूल रहीं, तो…
Officials said the test involved releasing small quantities of silver iodide and sodium chloride from an aircraft to stimulate precipitation. However, due to low moisture levels of less than 20 percent, rainfall did not occur. According to IIT-Kanpur’s report, the test flight assessed the readiness of the aircraft, the performance of seeding equipment and flares, and coordination between the various agencies involved.
“This flight served as a proving mission to test cloud-seeding capabilities and system endurance,” the report stated. It also noted that the moisture content during the trial was insufficient for rainfall, as cloud seeding typically requires humidity levels above 50 percent.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Gupta and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their support in expediting project approvals. “Today, a trial flight was conducted from IIT Kanpur to Delhi via Meerut, Khekra, Burari, and other locations. Flares were fired over Khekra, Burari, and Badli areas,” Sirsa said in a post on X.
The project, jointly developed by IIT-Kanpur and the Delhi government, aims to explore cloud seeding as a scientific solution to reduce air pollution during the post-Diwali smog season. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for five cloud-seeding trials in northwest Delhi was signed last month.
Approved by 23 government departments, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the operation will use IIT-Kanpur’s Cessna 206-H aircraft under visual flight rules between October 1 and November 30. The trials, costing ₹3.21 crore, will be supervised by experts from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the IMD.
Originally planned for July 4, the artificial rain experiment faced multiple delays due to the monsoon and unfavourable atmospheric conditions. With the latest successful test, Delhi now stands on the brink of achieving a long-awaited breakthrough in its battle against toxic air.
