NEW DELHI, Oct 16 (NNN-PTI) – India’s Delhi Environment Minister, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, said yesterday that, the government will begin cloud seeding operations in the next two to three days, depending upon favourable weather conditions.
Sirsa said, all necessary permissions for the city’s cloud-seeding project have been obtained, and pilots have successfully completed four days of training and area trials.
“We’re waiting for clouds to appear soon,” Sirsa said, referring to Diwali (the Hindu festival of lights) to be celebrated in India in the coming days, one of highlights firecrackers.
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique, that improves a cloud’s ability to produce rain or snow, by introducing tiny ice nuclei into certain types of subfreezing clouds.
In cloud seeding, special substances like silver iodide and dry ice are added to clouds, to make it rain or snow in areas experiencing water scarcity, less snowfall, or to reduce hail and clear fog.
The initiative was being implemented to assess whether cloud seeding can help disperse pollutants and reduce smog during Delhi’s peak pollution period.
Industrial activities and vehicular traffic are significant contributors to air pollution in the city, along with rampant construction.– NNN-PTI
