Delhi`s air quality sees a slight improvement, moving from `very poor` to `poor`. Meanwhile, a trial for artificial rain through cloud seeding was successfully conducted, marking a new step in pollution control.
Delhi’s air quality showed a marginal improvement on Friday morning, shifting from the “very poor” to “poor” category even as the city prepared for its first-ever artificial rain aimed at reducing pollution levels.
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer app, Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 290, falling in the poor category. However, Anand Vihar remained in the severe range at 403, the highest among all monitoring stations.
Fifteen locations across the national capital reported very poor air, while the rest recorded poor levels.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported a minimum temperature of 17°C and predicted a maximum of around 32°C, with mist in the morning and clear skies later in the day.
Can Delhi’s cloud seeding bring real rain and relief from pollution?
A day earlier, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that Delhi could witness its first artificial rain on October 29, marking a historic move in the capital’s pollution-control efforts.
“Preparations have been completed to induce artificial rain through cloud seeding — a significant milestone in our fight against air pollution,” Gupta said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The trial flight, conducted on Thursday in Burari, was led by IIT-Kanpur in collaboration with the Delhi government and the India Meteorological Department (IMD). During the test, silver iodide and sodium chloride were released from an aircraft to assess the system’s readiness.
While the trial saw no precipitation due to low moisture levels, below 20%, officials called it a “proving mission” to evaluate the aircraft and cloud-seeding equipment.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa thanked CM Gupta and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for facilitating approvals for the project, saying the trial demonstrated strong coordination among multiple agencies.
What is Delhi’s artificial rain project?
The cloud-seeding project, jointly developed by IIT-Kanpur and the Delhi government, aims to explore artificial rainfall as a method to reduce particulate-pollution levels in the city during the post-Diwali smog season.
Last month, the Delhi government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IIT-Kanpur for five cloud-seeding trials, which are expected to be conducted in northwest Delhi.
The project, approved by 23 departments, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), aims to explore whether artificial rain can be a viable solution to tackle rising pollution levels during the winter.
The project, approved by 23 departments, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), aims to explore whether artificial rain can be a viable solution to tackle rising pollution levels during the winter.
Funds have already been transferred to the IIT-Kanpur, which will deploy its own aircraft for the operation. According to a DGCA order, the activity will be carried out under visual flight rules, and only after obtaining clearances from state and local authorities.
The cloud-seeding operations are authorised between October 1 and November 30, and will follow strict safety, security and air traffic control guidelines.
Permission has been granted under rule 26(2) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, allowing the IIT-Kanpur's Department of Aerospace Engineering to conduct the activity using a Cessna 206-H aircraft (VT-IIT).
Published: 24 Oct 2025, 10:34 am IST
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