In the face of growing public health concerns regarding the extremely high levels of air pollution post-Diwali, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday indicated cloud seeding a "necessity" for the capital city. The statement came after the Chief Minister gave her nod to the first-ever artificial rain scheme in the city.
CM Gupta, a BJP leader, was optimistic regarding the initiative, citing that it is an important step towards addressing the capital's acute environmental crisis.
#WATCH | Delhi CM Rekha Gupta says, "Cloud seeding is a necessity for Delhi and is the first experiment of its kind. We want to try it in Delhi to see if it can help us control this very serious environmental problem. So the blessings of the people of Delhi are with the… pic.twitter.com/odGavXxe64
— ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2025
Trial Set For October 29
After a trial carried out in the area of Burari, CM Gupta issued a tentative date for the first artificial rain trial, pending favorable weather conditions.
"Cloud seeding is essential for Delhi and the first experiment of its kind. We wish to experiment with it in Delhi to find out if it can regulate this very critical environmental issue," CM Gupta was quoted to have said.
Timeline: The Chief Minister tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) that the weather department expects cloudy weather on October 28, 29, and 30.
Rain Date: "If weather continues to be good, Delhi will see its first man-made rain on October 29," the post stated.
Goal: Gupta asserted that the project is not just "technologically historic" but also sets a "scientific method of fighting pollution in Delhi."
Post-Diwali AQI Reaches 'Severe' Category
The demand for cloud seeding has come at a time when Delhi-NCR's air quality dived into the 'severe category' soon after the Diwali festival. The explosion of firecrackers in the region had predominantly helped worsen the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Pollutant Shift: It was observed by experts that there has been a sudden shift in the composition of air. Whereas the air was characterised by photochemical pollutants such as ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the previous weeks, the post-Diwali season witnessed these emissions being overtaken by a peak level of Particulate Matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5 ).
Cause of Emissions: Experts attribute this change to a steep increase in combustion-related emissions, mainly due to firecrackers, augmented by vehicular, industrial, and local burns. Ozone and carbon monoxide literally vanished from the AQI charts from October 20 (Diwali day), giving way to the more dangerous particulate matter.
ALSO READ | Cloud Seeding In India: Cost, Chemicals Used, And How Artificial Rain Works For Pollution Control
