Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 11:32am on 28 Oct 2025,Tuesday Weather & Environment
Delhi conducted its first full-scale cloud seeding trial Tuesday to combat post-Diwali smog, with IIT Kanpur's modified Cessna-206H releasing silver iodide and sodium chloride flares over northern Delhi areas including Khekra, Burari, and Mayur Vihar. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said eight flares were deployed during the 30-minute operation, with artificial rain expected within 15 minutes to 4 hours if successful. Delhi's AQI stood at 305 (very poor category), with 27 of 38 monitoring stations reporting similar readings. The Rs 3.21 crore project, approved in May for five trials, faced multiple weather-related delays. Last week's test flight failed due to insufficient atmospheric moisture below 20%.
