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Delhi Air Quality: The Delhi government has claimed that PM10 levels dropped significantly at locations where trial run of cloud seeding was recently carried out resulting in major improvements in the air quality in these areas. According to an official statement PM10 levels reduced by as much as 41.9 percent in areas like Mayur Vihar and Burari due to the recent cloud seeding operation. Did Delhi air quality improve after cloud seeding? Science-driven policy is at the heart of Delhis clean air mission. Even with low cloud moisture levels the trial yielded measurable Particulate Matter (PM) reductions. Yet our efforts do not rely solely on a single intervention -- we combine technology with continuous civic engagement and enforcement to deliver tangible improvements Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said as per the statement. Sirsa noted that the promising results yielded by cloud seeding are part of a broader holistic framework to address pollution in the national capital and involves tackling the issue from multiple angles including strict enforcement mechanical road sweeping vehicular emission checks and waste management initiatives. The momentum we see today is due to a holistic approach -- our government stands firmly behind evidence-based interventions and relentless civic work that benefits every resident the minister said. Why Delhi air quality reached critical levels? Last week Delhis air quality plummeted to hazardous levels day after Diwali as people flouted Supreme Courts directions and continued bursting firecrackers on Diwali night beyond the two-hour limit even as the citys BJP government blamed the AAP dispensation in neighbouring Punjab for the surge in pollution claiming it forced farmers to burn a record amount of paddy stubble the previous night. According to government data 12017 MT of garbage was removed from city limits while 2970 km of roads was mechanically swept with 772.64 KL water used for dust suppression. Additionally 2455 MT construction and demolition (C&D) waste was lifted in one day with 92 challans being issued for environmental violations and fines worth Rs 27.59 lakh have been imposed the data said. Further over 10253 challans for vehicular pollution were issued while 68 complaints were registered on 311 App Green Delhi App SAMEER App and other social media platforms and 203 of these have been resolved the government said. Will Delhi conduct more cloud seeding ops? Meanwhile Delhis air quality index has significantly improved in the past few days with the capital city recording an average AQI of 279 on Wednesday. Plans are in place to conduct another round of cloud seeding is slated in the coming days depending on the required weather and humidity conditions officials said. (With PTI inputs)
