New Delhi, Sep 25 (UNI) A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked between the Delhi government’s environment department and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur on Thursday for the trials of cloud seeding for artificial rain in the upcoming months of October and November, to fight air pollution.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on social media shared that the Delhi government and IIT Kanpur signed the MoU for a pilot project to demonstrate and evaluate cloud seeding technology.
There will be a total of five trials, with the first one to likely take place between October 7 to 11.
According to the CM, this is going to be a significant step towards reducing pollution in Delhi- NCR and contributing towards making the national capital clean and healthy.
Delhi’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, regarding the development shared that the required permissions for the trials had been received from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday.
The final permission came after a process of obtaining a go ahead from thirteen different agencies, as their nods were essential for the final go ahead in this initiative.
According to the Delhi Environment Minister, in the upcoming months of October and November, trained pilots will be conducting five cloud seeding trials in coordination with the experts using a Cessna aircraft, from the Hindon air base, as per the situation and presence of suitable clouds during that time.
Sirsa said that the guidance of CM Gupta has always been there, however her presence during the signing of the MoU on Thursday, made the occasion more special.
It is said that the initial trial flight will be conducted over the North- West Delhi, on around 100 square kilometers of area, and further based on the first attempt and the observations made in it, the future course of action for the remaining sorties will be decided.
These cloud seeding trials are aimed to suppress the dust particles in the smog that forms during the winters, to prevent Air Quality Index (AQI) from entering problematic zones.
Sirsa had earlier said that the fight was not just against air pollution, but the efforts are to make a blueprint for the future. He had said that this is going to be an experiment rooted in science, but executed with military-grade precision, and evaluated in real time.
Key features of the pilot project include information from the IMD about cloud feasibility, while the weatherman will also provide real-time data on cloud type, altitude, wind conditions and dew point to aid planning.
IIT Kanpur will deploy specially equipped Cessna aircraft with flare-based seeding systems, and the real-time impact on air quality (PM2.5 and PM10) will be measured using Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) placed around the seeding zones.
