Delhi govt clears cloud-seeding trials

The Delhi Cabinet on Wednesday approved a plan to conduct five cloud-seeding trials to assess its effectiveness in tackling the Capital’s perennial pollution woes, officials aware of the developments said. The proposal was titled “Technology Demonstration and Evaluation of Cloud Seeding as an Alternative for Delhi NCR”, they said.

Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that each cloud-seeding trial will cost ₹55 lakh, with a total estimated expenditure of ₹2.75 crore for the five trials. Additionally, there will be a one-time set-up cost of ₹66 lakh to cover aircraft calibration, chemical storage, logistics, and other preparatory arrangements. The total project outlay stands at ₹3.21 crore.

“The project will be implemented by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), which will oversee the planning, aircraft deployment, chemical dispersal, scientific modelling, and operational logistics. Funds for the initiative will be directly transferred to IIT Kanpur by the Delhi government,” Sirsa said.