Delhi's Pollution Crisis: Can Cloud Seeding Provide a Much-Needed Solution?

Strategic Insights -

Delhi has been battling severe air pollution since Diwali on October 20, with the air quality index (AQI) hovering between "poor" and "very severe" ranges. The Delhi government has considered cloud seeding as a short-term solution to wash away toxic pollutants, with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta indicating that the experiment could be carried out as early as this week. A trial seeding flight was conducted last Thursday, and experts from IIT Kanpur's department of aerospace engineering, in coordination with the Delhi government, successfully seeded clouds in the Burari area.

Key Takeaways:

  • Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that involves adding seeding agents into the air to encourage clouds to produce more precipitation.
  • The effectiveness of cloud seeding depends on the amount of moisture in the cloud, wind and temperature conditions, the timing and type of seeding, and the size of the area being seeded.
  • Studies have shown benefits of cloud seeding ranging from a 5% to 20% increase in precipitation.
  • Delhi's geographical location and low temperatures every winter provide the perfect environment for air pollution to reach hazardous levels.
  • The Delhi government's plan to use cloud seeding to tackle pollution has remained on hold for almost a week due to the inability to create rain out of clear blue skies.
  • The Commission for Air Quality Management's emergency response mechanism or Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) kicks in when the AQI reaches "poor" levels during peak pollution season.
  • Cloud seeding was first conceived in 1946 and has been used in various regions to boost precipitation artificially, clear airport fog, fight forest fires, suppress hail, and divert rainfall.

Statistics:

  • Delhi's AQI reading on Friday was 293, indicating "poor" quality air.
  • The AQI reading is categorised as Good (0-50), Satisfactory (51-100), Moderately Polluted (101-200), Poor (201-300), Very Poor (301-400), and Severe (401-500).
  • The Delhi government plans to carry out cloud seeding this week.
  • 1 kg of silver iodide was used to boost rainfall by over 4% in Xinjiang, a dry region in western China, earlier this year.
  • The CPCB calculates AQI based on eight pollutants: PM10, PM2.5, ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb), and ammonia (NH3).

Sources:

  • The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) official website
  • The South China Morning Post
  • IIT Kanpur's department of aerospace engineering
  • The Commission for Air Quality Management's emergency response mechanism or Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)
  • IE Online Media Services Pvt. Ltd.