New Delhi, Nov. 5 -- With air pollution continuing to pose a challenge in the national capital, the Delhi government has quietly carried out two rounds of cloud-seeding experiments near the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the past 15 days, official sources familiar with the development said. They also indicated that further trials could follow after Diwali and Chhath as the capital explores artificial rain as a possible intervention against air pollution.

Sources said the latest experiments were conducted at an altitude of approximately 30,000 metres, compared to around 10,000 metres during similar operations undertaken in Delhi last year. Sources added that more exercises are being considered after the festive period, but the government is unlikely to make any official announcement or confirmation about the operations until after Diwali.

Cloud seeding is a weather-modification technique in which substances such as silver iodide and sodium chloride are

dispersed into suitable clouds to encourage the formation of ice crystals or water droplets, potentially triggering rainfall under favourable atmospheric conditions.

Delhi first experimented with the technique last year in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, with the project formalised through a memorandum of understanding between the Environment Department and the institute on September 25, 2025.

Two rounds of trials were conducted in October last year, during which eight chemical flares containing silver iodide and sodium chloride were released in each operation. However, the experiments failed to produce rainfall.

Following the trials, the Delhi government released an assessment claiming that particulate matter levels had declined at the targeted locations despite the absence of rain.

The latest trials come as the government continues to examine the feasibility of artificial rain as one of the possible interventions for managing pollution during periods of deteriorating air quality. The outcome of the fresh experiments and their impact, if any, on pollution levels are yet to be established.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.