Delhi witnessed its second cloud seeding trial today in an ambitious attempt to induce artificial rainfall and combat rising pollution levels. The experiment was carried out using a Cessna aircraft that took off from Kanpur and flew across several parts of the National Capital Region — including Khekra, Burari, North Karol Bagh, Mayur Vihar, Sadakpur, and Bhojpur — before landing at Meerut Airport.

During the operation, eight cloud-seeding flares were released using pyrotechnic techniques to trigger rainfall. Experts from the IIT Kanpur team, which is leading the scientific operations, believe that rainfall could occur in Delhi within the next few hours as a result of the seeding.

Sharing details of the development on social media, Mr. Manjinder Singh Sirsa, senior BJP leader, expressed his gratitude towards the central and state leadership for supporting the initiative. He tweeted: “Today, the second trial of cloud seeding was conducted in Delhi. For this, a Cessna aircraft flew from Kanpur and passed over Khekra, Burari, North Karol Bagh, Mayur Vihar, Sadakpur, and Bhojpur before landing at Meerut Airport.

During the process, eight cloud-seeding flares were released using pyrotechnic techniques. The IIT Kanpur team believes that it may rain in Delhi anytime in the next few hours. I want to thank Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi ji for his vision and Hon’ble Chief Minister @gupta_rekha ji for her leadership, which made this second trial possible.”

The cloud seeding experiment is part of a broader initiative to tackle air pollution and poor air quality in the capital, offering a potential short-term relief through artificial rain. With areas like Mayur Vihar and North Karol Bagh witnessing the aircraft’s operation, the trial marks another milestone in Delhi’s innovative approach to managing environmental challenges.

If the current results are promising, officials suggest that more extensive cloud seeding operations could be conducted in the coming weeks to mitigate the city’s pollution crisis and improve atmospheric conditions.