Delhi conducts cloud seeding experiment for lowering air pollution

National capital’s air had deteriorated after Diwali and is still poor

Delhi carried out cloud seeding on October 28, 2025, to tackle deteriorating air quality.Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE

Published on:

28 Oct 2025, 10:21 am

The national capital on October 28 conducted cloud seeding in a bid to tackle elevated levels of air pollution.

An aircraft from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur sprinkled special salt-based and silver iodide flares designed to trigger rain. The exercise was slated to take place at 12:30 pm but was delayed due to low visibility.

The city’s air quality dipped to poor and very poor levels the day after Diwali.Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE

The exercise follows Delhi’s air quality dipping to poor and very poor levels the day after Diwali. Many Delhites continued to burst firecrackers till midnight on Diwali. This, despite the Supreme Court ordering only green crackers for a limited time on that day.

The capital’s air quality was poor on October 28, the day of the cloud seeding experiment.Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE

Delhi’s air quality index on October 28 was 305, categorised as ‘Very Poor’.

Delhi