‘All clearances in place for artificial rain pilot'
"All preparations are complete except for a few minor operational clearances. Now, we're just waiting for the right clouds to appear. The moment the weather cooperates, Delhi will witness its first artificial rain. This is a national-first experiment rooted in science, executed with military-grade precision, and evaluated in real time," Sirsa said.
India Meteorological Department has confirmed cloud feasibility and will provide real-time data on cloud type, altitude, wind conditions, and dew point to aid planning.
As the pilot project will be executed in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur, the institute will deploy specially equipped Cessna aircraft with flare-based seeding systems using a proprietary formulation made of Silver Iodide nanoparticles, iodised salt, and rock salt.
A maximum of five sorties are planned, with each flight covering 100 sq km and lasting at least 1 hour and 30 minutes over non-sensitive zones of northwest and outer Delhi. "Flights will avoid restricted airspace such as VIP-89 (Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament, PM residence), as per standard aviation protocol. However, real-time impact on air quality (PM2.5 and PM10) will be measured using Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) placed in and around the seeding zones," Sirsa added.
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