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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Climate
- Indian Express
Delhi gets DGCA nod for first cloud seeding trials to tackle air pollution; ‘historic achievement', says Minister Manjinder Sirsa
Delhi has become the first state in India to receive final clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for conducting cloud seeding trials aimed at reducing pollution, according to officials in the Environment Department. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced the development on Tuesday, calling it a 'historic achievement' and a major step forward in Delhi's fight against air pollution. Cloud seeding has been spoken about for years but never implemented, Sirsa said. The method involves dispersing hygroscopic particles like sodium chloride below the cloud layer to encourage rainfall and help wash out pollutants from the atmosphere. The trials, originally planned for early July, will now be held between August 30 and September 10, over areas including Alipur, Bawana, Rohini, Burari, Pavi Sadakpur and the Kundli border. 'For ten years, it remained only on paper. We took it up, secured all approvals including from the DGCA, and now Delhi will finally witness cloud seeding,' he said. The aircraft to be used for the operation is a Cessna 206-H (VT-IIT), operated by the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kanpur. It is fully fitted with cloud seeding equipment and will be manned by a trained crew with prior experience in similar missions. Sirsa added that while the original window approved by the DGCA was July 4 to 11, experts from the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, advised postponing the exercise. The experts cited that weather conditions during that time were not ideal for cloud seeding. Based on their recommendation, IIT Kanpur and the Delhi government requested a revised schedule, now approved for the end of August to early September, the minister explained. The DGCA's permission comes with strict conditions. The flights must be conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), with full visibility of terrain at all times. Use of aerial photography or videography is banned during operations, and the aircraft must stay within approved airspace. Operators must also coordinate closely with Air Traffic Control, report any abnormal incidents, and ensure that all activities are properly documented. Sirsa said the effort is part of the larger Environment Action Plan 2025, which aims to prepare Delhi for the winter season when air quality typically worsens. 'These trials will give us critical data to fine-tune and scale up cloud seeding efforts later in the year. Our aim is to create a cleaner winter for Delhiites,' he said. He also pointed out that Delhi is the only city where both the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal had to intervene due to the poor air quality. 'That pressure was a result of inaction in the past. Today, under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Viksit Delhi, we're changing that. We're not waiting for court orders — we're taking action,' he said. Taking a jibe at previous governments, Sirsa said, 'They spent a decade writing letters. We secured approvals within four months after several rounds of meetings. The aircraft is ready, the equipment is in place, and the pilots are trained.' To help assess the success of the initiative and explore the possibility of wider implementation in the future, the data from the trials would be shared with central pollution control authorities, scientific agencies, and the courts, Sirsa said.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Delhi defers cloud seeding project to late August due to ongoing monsoon
The Delhi government has deferred its first-ever cloud seeding project to late August, citing active monsoon conditions that are not conducive to the experiment, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Tuesday. Clouds over the Red Fort on Tuesday as the city recorded maximum and minimum at 35.1°C and 25.2°C, respectively. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo) The minister confirmed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has granted approval for the trial. Besides, a budget of ₹ 3.21 crore has been allocated for the pilot project, the minister said. The trials, originally planned between July 4 and July 11, will now be conducted between August 30 and September 10, after inputs from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), IIT-Kanpur, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, indicated that the early-July weather window was unlikely to yield optimal conditions for seeding. 'Cloud seeding trials will be conducted after the monsoon starts to recede. This revised window will allow us to target the right type of clouds and collect accurate scientific data,' Sirsa said at a press briefing, citing a statement from Professor Deepu Philip of IIT-Kanpur, which is leading the project. Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique in which aircraft disperse hygroscopic particles—such as sodium chloride or other aerosols—into clouds to stimulate precipitation. In Delhi's case, the project aims to use this technique to trigger artificial rain and help wash pollutants from the air. The minister said five sorties will fly over north Delhi and surrounding areas, including Rohini, Bawana, Alipur, and Burari, as well as adjoining regions of Uttar Pradesh such as Loni and Baghpat. HT had reported on Saturday that the government had submitted a detailed report from the IMD to the DGCA, along with a flight path map. The proposed flight would pass over north Delhi, covering areas including Rohini, Bawana, Alipur, and Burari. Adjacent regions in Uttar Pradesh, such as Loni and Baghpat, are also expected to benefit from any resultant rainfall. The government has allocated ₹ 3.21 crore for five cloud seeding trials. The operations will be conducted using aircraft cleared by DGCA, with strict adherence to safety norms. 'Aircraft will not fly over prohibited areas, and no aerial photography will be conducted during the mission,' Sirsa said. The trials will be led by the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT-Kanpur, using aircraft number VT-IIT (Cessna 206-H), which has been fully fitted with cloud seeding instrumentation. The flight crew has prior experience in similar missions and holds all necessary licenses and certifications, the minister added. Explaining the operational process, Sirsa said the aircraft will fly below the cloud base, releasing hygroscopic particles to stimulate rain formation. 'This will aid precipitation and help with pollutant washout, which is a key objective of the project,' he said. This will be Delhi's first attempt at cloud seeding—a method previously used in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and even internationally in countries such as the UAE and China—to either combat drought or improve air quality.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
DGCA nod in, but cloud seeding pushed to Aug-end now
New Delhi: Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given the final nod to Delhi govt for cloud seeding in the city. However, the govt said that, based on suggestions from meteorologists, trials would now take place between Aug 30 and Sept 10, instead of the previously declared July 4 to 11. Delhi govt has also finalised a tentative flight plan with a map of the area over which the cloud seeding experiment will be conducted. The sorties have been planned over Alipur, Bawana, Rohini, Burari, Pavi Sadakpur and parts of Eastern Peripheral Expressway. A fully equipped aircraft, VT-IIT (Cessna 206-H), and a trained crew are ready to get deployed. The sorties will focus on areas most likely to support low-altitude cloud formation and high pollution retention, according to Delhi govt. Calling the move "historic", environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the DGCA nod made Delhi the first city in the country to get clearance for cloud seeding. "Cloud seeding has been spoken about for years but never implemented. For 10 years, it remained on paper. We took this up, coordinated with 13 departments, secured all approvals, including from DGCA, and now Delhi will finally witness cloud seeding between Aug 30 and Sept 10. This is a historic achievement," he said. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi The original DGCA clearance was for the July 4-11 experiment, but the input from India Meteorological Department and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, suggested that monsoon cloud patterns during this window might not support optimal cloud seeding, Sira said. As a result, IIT Kanpur, in consultation with Delhi govt, requested for the better suited window of Aug 30-Sept 10. Cloud seeding is a weather-modification measure that introduces substances into the air to aggregate and condense moisture particles into rain. In this technique, elements such as silver iodide (AgI) are released into the atmosphere to aid the formation of ice crystals that lead to rain. The Delhi cabinet, on May 7, approved a proposal to conduct five trials with a total project outlay of Rs 3.21 crore. The trials were initially to be carried out in late May and early June in collaboration with IIT Kanpur. Sirsa emphasised that the trials were part of a larger, data-driven strategy under Environment Action Plan 2025 to combat Delhi's poor air quality during the winter. "These trials, scheduled for late Aug and early Sept, are scientifically timed to gather data, which will be vital to calibrating and scaling up efforts during the Oct-Dec period, when Delhi typically faces increased AQI levels," he explained. Taking a dig at the previous administrations, Sirsa said, "While they only wrote letters for 10 years, we've secured clearances after conducting multiple marathon meetings and follow-ups with every required agency in just four months. The aircraft is ready, the equipment is in place, and the pilots are trained." Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
NDTV
3 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Delhi Cloud Seeding Trials Green Lit: When, Where They Will Be Conducted
New Delhi: Delhi is set to witness its first-ever cloud seeding flights starting this August after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted final approval for airborne trials. The announcement was made by Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who confirmed that the trials will now take place between August 30 and September 10, revised from the earlier July window, following expert recommendations by IMD and IITM Pune. Mr Sirsa said, "Cloud seeding has remained on paper for nearly a decade. We have changed that. Delhi is now the first state to get DGCA clearance for pollution mitigation-based cloud seeding. This is not just an experiment, it's a declaration that Delhi refuses to live with toxic air." "The August-September sorties are timed to gather data ahead of the winter smog season. If the results are promising, we will scale up cloud seeding operations during October to December, when AQI levels are at their worst," he added. Operation Details And Flight Plan The cloud seeding flights will be carried out using aircraft VT-IIT (Cessna 206-H), operated by a trained crew from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Kanpur. The sortie routes will cover pollution-vulnerable areas including Alipur, Bawana, Rohini, Burari, Pavi Sadakpur, Kundli border zones and segments along the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. According to the Mr Sirsa, these regions were selected based on atmospheric studies pointing to high particulate matter retention and favorable cloud formation during the late monsoon transition. The aircraft is fitted with cloud seeding instrumentation designed to disperse hygroscopic particles - such as sodium chloride - into the atmosphere to induce rainfall and aid pollutant washout from the lower atmosphere. DGCA Conditions And Safety Protocols The DGCA's conditional clearance comes with a detailed list of operational guidelines to ensure safety and regulatory compliance: All sorties must be conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) with clear terrain visibility. Aerial photography or videography during flights is strictly prohibited. Aircraft must avoid restricted or notified airspaces unless additional permissions are obtained. Mandatory ATC clearances must be secured for all operations. A detailed record of every sortie must be maintained, and any incident or abnormality must be reported to the DGCA immediately. The operation will follow all directives under CAR Section 3, Series N, Part I and Air Transport Circular 1/2019. Sirsa Attacks Previous Government Taking a dig at the previous Aam Aadmi Party government, Mr Sirsa said, "They wrote letters for ten years. We conducted multi-agency meetings, navigated regulatory approvals, and got a DGCA nod within a record time. This is not just governance, it's governance with urgency."
News18
3 days ago
- Science
- News18
Delhi To Now Get Artificial Rains In September With India's First DGCA-Approved Cloud Seeding Trials
Calling it a 'historic step towards implementing science-based environmental solutions", the Delhi government on Tuesday announced that it has secured final Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) clearance for conducting cloud seeding trials over Delhi. 'The approval marks the beginning of Delhi's first-ever airborne experiment to mitigate pollution through induced precipitation," the statement said. Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that cloud seeding has been spoken about for years but never implemented. 'For ten years, it remained on paper. We took this up, coordinated with 13 departments, secured all approvals, including from DGCA, and now Delhi will finally witness cloud seeding between August 30 and September 10. This is a historic achievement," he said. The Plan As per the tentative flight plan prepared by the experts, cloud-seeding aircraft will fly over Kundli border zones, Alipur, Bawana, Rohini, Burari, Pavi Sadakpur, and some stretches along the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. The sorties will focus on areas most likely to support low-altitude cloud formation and high pollution retention. The cloud seeding method will involve dispersion of hygroscopic particles, like sodium chloride or other aerosols, from below the cloud layer, enhancing precipitation and improving pollutant washout in the lower atmosphere. IIT Kanpur Leading The operations will be led by the department of aerospace engineering, IIT Kanpur, using aircraft VT-IIT (Cessna 206-H), which has been fully equipped with cloud-seeding instrumentation. The crew has prior experience in similar flight missions, and all mandatory DGCA conditions, including licenses and certifications, have been complied with. For Smog-Free Winters The cloud seeding trials are part of a larger, data-driven strategy, under the Environment Action Plan 2025, to combat Delhi's toxic air during the winter months. 'These trials, scheduled for late August and early September, are scientifically timed to gather data which will be vital to calibrating and scaling up efforts during the October–December period, when Delhi typically faces increased AQI levels," the minister explained. Rescheduled Timeline
