Gurugram uses 'Artificial Rain' against air pollution; did it really help?

A Gurugram housing society conducted "Artificial Rain" using sprinklers from a high-rise building to counter the increasing pollution

While Delhi was immersed in apocalyptic smog after stubble burning, firecracker bursting, and other meteorological conditions during Diwali, viral videos of ‘artificial rain’ at a housing community in Gurugram captured people's attention last week.

The initiative was carried out by the DLF Primus Society of Gurugram, in Sector-82, by raining water from the fire lines of a 32-floor high-rise building to combat pollution. While there was no evidence that the rain decreased pollution levels in the area, it left some Delhi residents wondering whether they could try a similar method.

The Delhi government has been toying with the idea of employing artificial rain using cloud-seeding – the method of triggering rain by seeding clouds with salts – to fight the pollution. However, due to unfavourable weather conditions, the plan reportedly fell off last year too.

What is Artificial rain?

Artificial rain, also known as cloud seeding, is the process of using aeroplanes or helicopters to release chemicals into the sky, such as dry ice, potassium iodide, and silver iodide. 

These particles draw in water vapour, which causes clouds to form and rain to fall. The techniques include employing hygroscopic elements, such as salt particles, for warm clouds and seeding supercooled clouds with dry ice or silver iodide.

Artificial rain: How It Works?

In order to increase the density of clouds and increase the probability of rainfall, cloud seeding entails adding several chemical agents, such as silver iodide, dry ice, and even table salt.

Sachchida Nand Tripathi, the dean of IIT Kanpur's Kotak School of Sustainability and one of India's most distinguished experts on climate change and air quality, emphasized the necessity of efficient cloud-seeding to create rain, which would subsequently aid in somewhat purifying the environment.

“The issue is whether seeding can result in rain. It depends on many conditions. Some of them are not under your control. Outcome of seeding is not certain. For this you have to experiment and then only you can perfect the art," he added.

Artificial rain: Estimated cost?

The Delhi government was notified by the IIT team that the project is expected to cost approximately Rs 1 lakh per square kilometer. A senior government functionary stated, "In a significant development, the Delhi government has decided to bear the cost of artificial rain that could be made to happen by November 20 if the Centre extends its support to the Delhi government". 

"The chief secretary has been directed to inform the Supreme court that the Delhi government has in principle agreed, based on the advice of an IIT-Kanpur team, to bear the cost of Phase 1 and Phase 2 pilots (totalling Rs 13 Crore) for carrying out artificial rain," the person stated.

Will artificial rain be worth it?

According to Manindra Agrawal, the project's principal professor at IIT Kanpur, artificial rain might provide residents of the National Capital Region (NCR) with a week-long respite from poor air quality. Experts don’t recommend depending on this method for long to alleviate the effects of air pollution.