New Delhi: With the monsoon advancing at a pace much faster than usual, the Delhi government is scrambling to secure mandatory clearances to begin its ambitious cloud seeding trials aimed at combating air pollution in the city.
Despite the project being approved by the Delhi Cabinet on May 8, the government has so far received formal permission from only one of the 10 key agencies it had approached, the Special Protection Group (SPG). Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa confirmed on Thursday that a second round of reminders had been issued to the remaining authorities, urging them to expedite their approvals so that the first trial can be held by mid-June. “Only SPG has given the go-ahead so far. CPCB responded with queries, while the rest remain silent. We are aggressively following up because we want to complete at least one trial before the monsoon arrives,” said Sirsa.
The agencies still pending include the Ministries of Environment, Defence and Home Affairs, the Uttar Pradesh government, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). Their approvals are essential due to the flight movements, safety concerns, and environmental implications involved in cloud seeding.
Cloud seeding is a scientific process where certain chemicals, typically silver iodide, are dispersed into clouds to stimulate rainfall. The method has been proposed as a potential short-term relief strategy against Delhi’s chronic pollution crisis.
The Rs.3.21 crore project includes five test flights, each costing Rs.55 lakh, with the remaining funds earmarked for aircraft calibration, chemical logistics, and storage. The trials will be carried out over a 100 sqkm area in northwest or outer Delhi.
SPG, which granted approval on May 16, also instructed that all no-fly zones be strictly respected during operations. Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), while not granting full approval yet, requested more specifics about the experiment’s coverage area, time slots, and duration.
The CPCB advised starting trials at the top of any hour to align with air quality monitoring. Meanwhile, the IMD has yet to provide detailed cloud forecasts, adding urgency as the monsoon advances rapidly.