Delhi Air Pollution; Cloud Seeding Artificial Rain Process Explained | Delhi AQI | Will cloud seeding reduce pollution in Delhi: How cloud seeding causes fake rain; need permission from center

Deadly pollution continues to wreak havoc in Delhi. The air quality index remains between 400 and 500. On November 20, Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai urged the Central Government to intervene. He has sought help from Prime Minister Modi to create artificial rain to deal with pollution. It is believed that the pollution problem in Delhi can be reduced by making it rain through cloud seeding.

How is water collected in clouds through cloud seeding?

Plants emerge by planting seeds in the ground, similarly artificial rain occurs by putting chemicals in the clouds that cause rain. This process of adding chemicals is called cloud seeding. Water cannot be artificially increased in clouds through cloud seeding. That is the work of nature. Under this, only the moisture present in the clouds is collected. The condition for that also is that there should be clouds in the sky and moisture in them.

To understand the phenomenon of cloud seeding, one must first understand the process of rainfall. In fact, the moisture present in the clouds is the main reason for rain. When moist air rises into the sky, it begins to cool due to the low temperature. The moist air cools and turns into small water droplets or ice. These droplets appear to us like dense clouds from the ground. These small droplets gradually become so large and heavy that it becomes difficult for the air to hold them. Due to excessive weight, this water starts falling on the ground in the form of drops. It is called rain.

Cloud seeding has been done in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu

Earlier, cloud seeding has been tried in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in India but these experiments were done during monsoon. In the year 2018-19, a study named Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment i.e. CAIPEEX was conducted. To deal with the problem of drought in Solapur, Maharashtra, rain was provided through cloud seeding.

Four main things emerged from this study-

• 100 square kilometer area of ​​Solapur received 18% more rainfall due to cloud seeding.
• The cost of producing water from cloud seeding was 18 paise per litre.
• If indigenous seeding aircraft are used, the expenditure can be reduced by up to 50%.
• Rain can be produced through cloud seeding from 20-25% white and light gray clouds, if cloud seeding is done properly.

In the year 2023, the Delhi government wanted to provide rain in 300 square kilometer area of ​​Delhi through cloud seeding. Then its estimated cost was said to be around Rs 3 crore at the rate of Rs 1 lakh per square kilometre. That means, this is a very small amount to save lakhs of people living in Delhi from getting sick. Then there are some other big reasons behind why cloud seeding is not being done.

Can cloud seeding reduce pollution in Delhi?

Till now, cloud seeding has been done as an experiment to deal with the drought situation in the country. This has not happened yet to reduce pollution. Scientists say that cloud seeding is possible only when the clouds are dense enough and contain moisture. There is stable wind in Delhi in winter. There is a possibility of cloud formation here only when there is disturbance in the air of Delhi due to western disturbance. However, the possibility of cloud formation can be detected in advance through radar.

M Rajeevan, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, who was associated with the Solapur study, had then said,

There are still many problems in cloud seeding. Sometimes clouds do not rain even after cloud seeding, while sometimes it can rain even without cloud seeding. Cloud seeding is still a subject of complex research.

Cloud seeding was also considered in Delhi in 2018. This was also attempted in November last year, but ultimately it could not happen. Sometimes the ship lacked seeding equipment and sometimes permission was not granted.

Scientists also say that the Delhi government’s appeal to the Center for cloud seeding to deal with the current pollution problem in Delhi is wrong.

Sachin Ghude, project director and scientist of the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research, told a newspaper,

There are very few clouds in the Delhi sky during winter due to pollution. The temperature keeps increasing and decreasing. Pollutants remain trapped in the air. In such a situation, there are no conditions suitable for cloud formation in Delhi. Delhi government’s appeal is not correct. Delhi’s pollution problem is huge, for this the area needs continuous and heavy rains.

Delhi government has so far sought approval from the Center for cloud seeding 4 times. Delhi Government’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai had sought approval from the Central Government for cloud seeding in the month of October last. Then Gopal Rai had said that the Delhi government had prepared to get cloud seeding done to deal with pollution, but clearance for this was not received from the central government. Now once again Gopal Rai has appealed to the Center to get cloud seeding done. He says that he had earlier written letters to Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on August 30, October 10 and October 23 for clearance for cloud seeding, but received no response. Earlier, when the Delhi government had sought approval from the Center for cloud seeding, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had sought information from the Delhi government about the chemicals used in cloud seeding and their effects. According to media reports, Delhi Pollution Control Committee has not yet responded to this.

Cloud seeding has benefits but also disadvantages

Silver iodide is used in cloud seeding. This creates silver in the air which falls on the ground with rain. There is a standard system called NFPA 704, under which it is seen how harmful an element is. Silver iodide is given a rating of 2 in this system. That is, it is considered harmful to some extent for humans and other mammalian animals.

However, some studies also say that there is very little harm from it. The amount of silver falling to the ground from cloud seeding is only 1% compared to the silver compounds released from industries. However, cloud seeding was stopped in Australia in view of the threat to the environment.

Also read this news related to Delhi’s pollution… Pollution closed schools for the first time in Rajasthan: Lockdown in Delhi-Haryana, UP also; What effect does increasing AQI have on children?

In Khairthal-Tijara district of Rajasthan, under the government order, children up to 5th class have been dismissed from all the schools. This is the first time that schools have been closed in Rajasthan due to pollution. This holiday will last till 23 November. Actually, AQI i.e. Air Quality Index has reached 500 in Delhi. This is said to be a very dangerous level of pollution. Read the full news…

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