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Artificial Rain
The recent cloud seeding trials in New Delhi were purely an experiment, Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary M Ravichandran has said, stressing that such tests are essential to assess their feasibility before making them operational. Such experiments can end in success or failure, he said on Sunday. Ravichandran was at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune to attend the 11th WMO Scientific Conference on Weather Modification. Last month, the Delhi government, in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, conducted cloud seeding trials in parts of the national capital to ease the city's air pollution crisis. However, the Opposition Congress has criticised the move, saying getting a slight improvement in a limited area for a day or two, as is now being claimed, is a cruel joke. Responding to a query on the cloud seeding trials, Ravichandran called them purely an experiment and said such experiments tend to have either positive or negative outcomes. Everybody is trying different t
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday questioned the Delhi government's recent cloud seeding exercise, saying no rainfall was recorded despite claims of artificial rain and raising doubts over the feasibility of such experiments in the national capital. The Delhi government, in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur, conducted cloud seeding trials on Tuesday in some areas, including Burari, north Karol Bagh and Badli, after a gap of 53 years. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said in a statement that the initiative aimed to explore scientific solutions for reducing air pollution in the city. "Preliminary analysis indicates a reduction in particulate matter concentrations in the regions where the trials were conducted, even though weather conditions were not ideal for rainfall," he said. Addressing a press conference, AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "For the past few days, it was said that cloud seeding had been done in various areas of Delhi, but there was no rain ...
The Delhi government's plan to conduct artificial rain trials in the city could be pushed back as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is yet to give a clear go-ahead, officials said. With a western disturbance likely to bring rain later this week, officials said the experiment will only be held when dry weather is assured. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the trial can yield meaningful results only if carried out in clear weather conditions. "We will wait until IMD gives us a green light and confirms there is no possibility of rain. Otherwise, there is no point in conducting the trial," he said. The Delhi government recently signed an MoU with IIT Kanpur for five such trials, to be conducted in northwest Delhi. The project, cleared by 23 departments including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is aimed at exploring whether cloud seeding can help tackle pollution during peak winter months. Funds have already been transferred to IIT Kanpur, which w
Can artificial rain dissipate toxins in the air? As the skies over several parts of north India turn blue again and pollution levels improve from 'severe' but continue to be 'very poor', the question of whether cloud seeding can really be a long-term solution gathers urgency. It is a tempting prospect and nothing more, say scientists, stressing on the need to tackle the problem at its root. Artificial rain is not just expensive - an estimated Rs 1 crore to induce rain in an approximate 100 square kilometre area - but also offers temporary respite. The respite artificial rain offers is short-lived... the return of polluted air swiftly restores hazardous levels, highlighting the need for more sustainable solutions, Sunil Dahiya, an analyst with the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, told PTI. Artificial rain can't be induced to last for days and over such large geography as NCR or north India which limits its usage as air pollution reduction technology for the region, he ...
Lahore, one of the world's most polluted cities, on Saturday received its first artificial rain, following an experiment conducted by Pakistan's Punjab government with the help of the UAE to combat smog. Addressing a press conference here, the Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the experiment was conducted in 10 areas of Lahore and it was successful. Around 10 per cent of areas in Lahore received rainfall today due to cloud seeding experiments, he said, adding that at least 48 flares were deployed for cloud seeding. "Light showers were witnessed in the 10 areas of 15 km radius. The results of the experiment are being further gauged," he said. "Not a single penny was spent for the artificial rain. To combat smog, the government is ready to take any measure," the chief minister said. He also thanked the UAE government's help in initiating the artificial rain, also known as cloud seeding, to wash away pollutants in the air in the provincial capital. Last month, lo
The Delhi government will attempt to induce artificial rain through cloud seeding this month in an effort to combat air pollution in the national capital, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday. Rai said he held a meeting with scientists from IIT Kanpur who told him that cloud seeding could only be attempted if there were clouds or moisture in the atmosphere. "Experts anticipate that such conditions could develop around November 20-21. We have asked the scientists to prepare a proposal in this regard which will be submitted to the Supreme Court," the minister added. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department, told PTI that research is being conducted globally on artificial rain. "There have been a few attempts in India... in Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Globally, research is being conducted on artificial rain, which requires the basic requirement of clouds or moisture. Only under these conditions can it occur. "Certain nuclei ar