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The Delhi government on Tuesday, October 28, said that its first artificial rain experiment, a cloud seeding operation conducted in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, was “100% successful”, asserting that the initiative had reduced air pollution levels despite low humidity. The announcement came amid sharp exchanges between the ruling administration and the opposition over the scientific and financial aspects of the project. Environment Minister Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the trial proved that even under challenging conditions of 15-20% humidity, cloud seeding helped bring down particulate matter levels – PM2.5 and PM10 – by nearly 6-10%. “Within seven months of this government taking charge, we identified IIT Kanpur, modified an aircraft, procured the necessary chemicals, and conducted a successful trial,” Sirsa said. “One trial costs Rs 20-25 lakh, whereas the previous government spent Rs 20 crore merely on advertisements for the odd-even scheme,” he added, taking a swipe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Sirsa further revealed that the government has contracted 10 such trials with IIT Kanpur, which will be carried out under more favourable weather conditions in the coming months. “Those who did nothing about cloud seeding for 10 years are now questioning our efforts,” he remarked, referring to the previous Kejriwal-led administration. On the other hand, former Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the government of misleading the public and wasting taxpayer money. “During the Kejriwal government, we repeatedly wrote to the Centre seeking clearance for cloud seeding, but no response was received,” Bhardwaj said. He alleged that scientists had already warned about the harmful effects of the chemicals used in such experiments. “Why wasn’t the cloud seeding done the morning after Diwali, when pollution was at its peak?” he asked, terming the entire exercise a “free circus”. The war of words turned personal when Bhardwaj attacked Sirsa’s educational credentials, saying, “Sirsa used to come to court wearing a lawyer’s robe, but he is only a Class 12 pass. He failed his exam while pursuing BA in Punjabi. It would be better if he refrained from commenting on scientific issues.” Sirsa dismissed the criticism, maintaining that the operation was carried out after consultation with scientists, who confirmed that the chemicals used were safe and posed no environmental hazard. The success of the pilot project has reignited debate over the feasibility and ethics of *artificial rain as a pollution-control measure.
