Delhi govt’s Rs 3.2 crore cloud-seeding experiment fails, experts call it costly, unsustainable
New Delhi: Despite high hopes and a hefty budget, Delhi government's much-publicised cloud-seeding experiment has failed to bring significant rainfall, leaving experts questioning the efficacy of the initiative.
The Delhi government’s cloud seeding trials, conducted on Tuesday, have been described as a “hugely expensive, temporary and unsustainable” measure to tackle the capital’s toxic pollution, according to experts cited by the Times of India. Even if artificial rain briefly reduces pollutants, they warn, pollution levels rebound within a day or two.
Under a memorandum of understanding between the Delhi environment department and IIT-Kanpur, over Rs 3.2 crore has been allocated for five cloud-seeding trials — roughly Rs 64 lakh per trial. Three trials conducted in north Delhi failed to produce any major rainfall. Meanwhile, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has continued to hover in the ‘very poor’ to ‘poor’ range.
Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment, noted that substantial rainfall has yet to be recorded after cloud seeding. “Even if the rains wash out the pollutants, the pollution will bounce back quickly. The impact lasts from hours to a couple of days,” TOI quoted her as saying.
Roychowdhury added that the initiative is not sustainable and cannot be repeated throughout the winter. She emphasised that investments should focus on reducing emissions at the source for long-term improvements in air quality and public health.
Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst of the think tank EnviroCatalysts, said that improving air quality requires tackling sector-specific emissions from transport, power, and construction. He added that no real impact can be achieved without addressing these sources.
"Cosmetic measures may create short-term visibility benefits but are not sustainable solutions. The focus should instead be on coordinated action across states and agencies through an airshed-based approach that targets the actual sources of pollution," TOI quoted him as saying.
Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari pointed out that Delhi’s atmosphere already had enough moisture due to a western disturbance, which naturally brings rain. “Under such circumstances, cloud seeding adds little scientific value; it becomes a costly experiment chasing what nature is already prepared to deliver. Clean air will not come from artificial rain, but from sustained reductions in emissions, dust control, and responsible policy," Kandhari added.
While cloud seeding may seem futuristic, experts stress that Delhi’s true challenge is on the ground, not in the sky. With increasing construction dust, vehicle emissions, and industrial pollution, the city’s air quality cannot be improved through one-off measures. Sustainable progress, they say, depends on strict enforcement of pollution control norms, coordinated regional action, and long-term policy initiatives.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
