Why is New Delhi making it rain artificially?

"Delhi's new government, led by Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, believes the answer perhaps now for mitigation, rather than preventing lies in making it rain, artificially, by seeding clouds in order to clear away the fumes. On Tuesday afternoon, a small aircraft sprinkled the clouds over Delhi with small quantities of silver iodide and sodium chloride compounds to trigger artificial rain."

"The cloud seeding trial aims to tackle the deteriorating air quality in the national capital during the winter months. An aircraft took off from Kanpur, a city in Uttar Pradesh, 500km away from New Delhi. In consultation with scientists at the city's Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) branch, it carried out the cloud-seeding exercise over part of the capital. Last week, the government conducted a test flight and reported it was a success."

"Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta called it a necessity for Delhi and a pioneering step toward addressing New Delhi's persistent environmental challenges. In this photo shared by Indian Institute of Technology, a plane takes off from Kanpur for New Delhi for a cloud seeding trial to combat air pollution in the capital, India, on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 [Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, via AP] Every winter, Delhi's air turns into a dense, toxic mix of dust, smoke and chemicals. As temperatures drop, slow winds"

Forty million people in and around New Delhi experience severe winter pollution, with a recurring grey haze of exhaust, smoke and dust that stings lungs. The haze often follows Diwali firecracker celebrations. The Delhi government is conducting cloud seeding by dispersing silver iodide and sodium chloride from aircraft to trigger artificial rain aimed at clearing fumes. An aircraft flew from Kanpur, 500km away, for a seeding trial carried out with consultation from an Indian Institute of Technology branch. A prior test flight was reported successful. The chief minister described the effort as a necessary and pioneering step to address persistent environmental challenges.

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