As Delhi's air worsens, government has quietly run two artificial-rain trials and may try again after Diwali

With Delhi's air quality deteriorating, the city government has quietly conducted two cloud-seeding trials near Indira Gandhi International Airport over the past 15 days, and may try again after Diwali and Chhath Puja, weather permitting. Delhi's overall air quality index (AQI) stood at 367 on Thursday, in the "very poor" category, with several monitoring stations already at "severe" levels. (Photo: file image of smog over Delhi.)

Trials flown at about 30,000 feet and kept confidential

According to Dainik Jagran, the two trials were conducted at an altitude of about 30,000 feet, far higher than last year's operations at around 10,000 feet. Unlike last year, the government is keeping this year's operations strictly confidential; Chief Minister Rekha Gupta told the newspaper the government will conduct cloud-seeding trials but will not make any announcements or confirmations about ongoing operations. Sources said two to three more trials are planned after the festivals, depending on cloud cover and weather.

Experts caution: temporary relief only, not a cure

Cloud seeding introduces substances such as silver iodide into moisture-bearing clouds to encourage precipitation, washing airborne particles out of the air. Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at Envirocatalysts, cautioned that cloud seeding cannot address the underlying causes of pollution and should be treated only as a supplementary measure on days of extreme pollution; transport emissions and stubble burning remain the capital's main pollution sources.

The Air Quality Early Warning System forecasts Delhi's air could deteriorate further to the "severe" category on November 6 and 7. The Supreme Court has allowed certified green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR on November 7 and 8, with a complete ban restored from November 9. Delhi has been developing artificial rain with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur since last year; the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on September 25, 2025.

(Sources: Dainik Jagran, The Indian Witness, November 5, 2026.)