Rainfall brought relief to many areas in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and nearby regions of the National Capital Region (NCR) on Thursday night and Friday. This comes as a welcome break from the poor air quality experienced in recent days. The showers in the city coincide with the government’s attempts to use ‘artificial rain’ to address the pollution problem.
The Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC) forecasts light, occasional rain in and around Delhi-NCR, covering areas like Rajiv Chowk, ITO, India Gate, Akshardham, Safdarjung, RK Puram, and Lajpat Nagar on Friday morning.
Delhi’s Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, talked with a team from IIT-Kanpur on Wednesday about the idea of making fake rain to improve the air in the city. After the meeting, the minister said they might try artificial rain on November 20-21 if it stays cloudy.
The Delhi government will cover the full expense of artificial rain to tackle severe air pollution in the city. Officials reported that the chief secretary has been instructed to present the government’s stance before the Supreme Court on Friday, according to PTI.
#WATCH | Delhi witnesses sudden change in weather, receives light rain
— ANI (@ANI) November 10, 2023
(Visuals from Kartavya Path) pic.twitter.com/YeGPH70uAD
If the Central government supports the choice, Delhi officials aim to bring artificial rain to the city by November 20, as mentioned on Thursday.
Creating artificial rain through cloud seeding means releasing materials into the air to promote condensation, which then causes precipitation. Silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) are commonly used for cloud seeding. These substances act as nuclei around which water vapor can condense, eventually leading to the development of rain or snow.
People have used this weather change method in different places around the world, mainly in areas that don’t have much water or are going through droughts.
