The Delhi government, in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, conducted a trial seeding flight on Thursday to assess the feasibility of inducing artificial rain over the city in a significant step towards tackling the national capital’s pollution crisis. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that the national capital would see its first artificial rain on October 29 if conditions remain favourable.
The test flight, which took off from IIT Kanpur, covered Delhi via Meerut, Khekra, Burari, Sadakpur, Bhojpur, and Aligarh before returning to Kanpur. According to officials, cloud seeding flares were deployed between Khekra and Burari, as well as over the Badli area, using pyro techniques to test the system’s readiness and coordination.
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta stated, “Preparations have been completed for the first time in Delhi to induce artificial rain through cloud seeding. Today, experts have successfully tested it in the Burari area. The weather department has indicated the possibility of cloud presence on October 28, 29, and 30. If conditions remain favorable, Delhi will experience its first artificial rain on October 29.”
दिल्ली में पहली बार क्लाउड सीडिंग के माध्यम से कृत्रिम वर्षा कराने की तैयारियां पूरी कर ली गई हैं। आज विशेषज्ञों द्वारा बुराड़ी क्षेत्र में इसका सफल परीक्षण किया गया है।
मौसम विभाग ने 28, 29 और 30 अक्टूबर को बादलों की उपस्थिति की संभावना जताई है। यदि परिस्थितियां अनुकूल रहीं, तो…
— Rekha Gupta (@gupta_rekha) October 23, 2025
“This initiative is not only historic from a technical perspective but is also set to establish a scientific method to combat pollution in Delhi. The government’s objective is to make the capital’s air clean and the environment balanced through this innovation. Best wishes to our cabinet colleague Manjinder Singh Sirsa ji and all officials involved in making this effort successful,” she wrote.
‘A Historic Day for Delhi’: Minister Sirsa
Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa described the day as “historic”, crediting Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their leadership and support in enabling the trial.
“Today was a historic day for Delhi as the Delhi government, under the leadership of CM Rekha Gupta, achieved a historic milestone. The first successful trial of cloud seeding was done today… As per the meteorological department, there will be clouds above Delhi on 28-29-30 October. Delhi government is absolutely ready with physical trials and permissions to induce artificial rain on 29 October,” Sirsa said.
I would like to thank Hon’ble Chief Minister Smt @gupta_rekha Ji for her leadership and Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji for his blessings because of which all permissions for this novel effort were timely available.
Today a trial seeding flight was done from IIT… https://t.co/IeyhjlWH8l pic.twitter.com/9y4vOOtx21
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) October 23, 2025
In a post on social media, Sirsa added, “I would like to thank Chief Minister Rekha Gupta for her leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his blessings because of which all permissions for this novel effort were timely available.”
Delhi’s Cloud Seeding Project
The project — a key initiative of the BJP-led Delhi government — has faced repeated delays since July due to monsoon fluctuations and the absence of suitable cloud cover. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Delhi government and IIT Kanpur includes five planned trials to be conducted primarily in northwest Delhi.
An aircraft equipped for the experiment is stationed in Meerut under the supervision of IIT Kanpur experts. The initiative has received clearance from 23 departments, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Funds for the project have already been transferred to IIT Kanpur, which will operate its Cessna 206-H aircraft (VT-IIT) for the trials.
According to the DGCA’s approval order, the operations will follow visual flight rules and be conducted without remuneration. The seeding activity, authorised under Rule 26(2) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, will be permitted between October 1 and November 30. The project involves the participation of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to ensure accuracy and safety.
Air Quality Remains ‘Very Poor’ Despite Mild Improvement
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality showed a slight improvement on Thursday but remained in the ‘very poor’ category for the fourth consecutive day, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
At 4 pm, the city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 305, while Anand Vihar recorded the highest level at 410. Out of 38 monitoring stations, 23 reported very poor air quality and 14 recorded poor levels, as per CPCB’s Sameer app.
Delhi ranked as the fifth most polluted city in India on Thursday, with Bahadurgarh in Haryana topping the list at an AQI of 325. Neighbouring NCR cities, including Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad, fared slightly better with AQI readings in the 200s.
The Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) has forecast that the capital’s AQI will likely remain ‘very poor’ till Saturday, before fluctuating between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ over the next week.
Transport emissions contributed 15.7 per cent of Delhi’s air pollution on Thursday, followed by residential sources (4 per cent), industrial emissions (3.4 per cent), and other external sources (35 per cent), as per the Decision Support System (DSS) data.
Satellite imagery detected 69 stubble-burning incidents in Punjab, three in Haryana, and 44 in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.
On the weather front, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 32.2°C and a minimum of 18.1°C, with the IMD forecasting misty conditions for Friday morning. Temperatures are expected to hover around similar levels over the next 24 hours.