Delhi is reeling under a thick blanket of smog as air quality levels plummet to hazardous levels across the National Capital Region (NCR). As the situation worsened, the government conducted its first-ever cloud seeding operation on Tuesday. The experiment, done with help from IIT Kanpur, aimed to create artificial rain to help wash away dust and pollutants from the air. While many countries have tried cloud seeding to combat pollution, this was the first time Delhi attempted it. The operation did not bring the expected results.
Countries that have tried cloud seeding
The United States, China, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and various European nations such as France and Spain have tried cloud seeding in the past to combat air pollution.
UAE: It is one of the most active countries in cloud seeding. It conducts hundreds of seeding flights every year to boost rainfall and manage extreme water shortages.
China: It has the world’s largest cloud seeding program, which it uses to increase rainfall in arid regions. The country began experimenting with the technology in the 1950s and has since expanded it nationwide. They used cloud seeding in the 2008 Beijing Olympics to improve air quality.
United States: The US has been using cloud seeding for decades, mainly to boost snowfall, increase rainfall, and manage drought conditions. States like Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Wyoming use cloud seeding to increase snowfall in the mountains.
More than 50 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Israel, Indonesia, and Australia, have experimented with cloud seeding at some point.
Where it worked and where it didn’t
Cloud seeding has had success in varying forms. Some countries have managed to get good results, while others have found little to no improvement.
The UAE is often cited as one of the most successful cases. The project has reportedly led to increased rainfall by 10 to 30 per cent in some areas. China has also claimed to increase rainfall by up to 15 per cent.
Israel, one of the first countries to experiment with it in the 1960s, stopped its program in 2021 after research showed no significant rise in rainfall. South Africa and mainland Australia have also reported little success.
What is cloud seeding?
Cloud seeding is a method to make clouds produce more rain or snow. Aircraft, drones, or ground-based machines are used to release tiny particles, usually silver iodide, potassium iodide, or salt, into clouds. These particles act like seeds around which water droplets or ice crystals form. Once enough droplets gather, they become heavy, which causes rainfall or snowfall.