Delhi’s Air Quality Crisis: A Persistent Problem
Delhi consistently ranks among the world’s most polluted cities. The winter season intensifies the issue with:
Crop stubble burning in nearby states
Vehicle and industrial emissions
Cold air trapping pollutants near the ground
PM2.5 levels often spike to 10x the safe limit, leading to school closures, health advisories, and widespread concern.
🌧️ What Is Cloud Seeding?
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique where substances like silver iodide, potassium iodide, or sodium chloride are introduced into clouds to induce rainfall.
This is done using:
Aircrafts
Rockets
Drones
The idea is to enhance the cloud’s ability to produce precipitation.
“Think of it as giving clouds a nudge to do what they already want to do—rain,” says Dr. Priya Nair, an atmospheric scientist at IIT Delhi.
🔬 How Does Cloud Seeding Work Scientifically?
Cloud Identification: Only clouds with enough moisture are targeted.
Seeding Agent Dispersal: Silver iodide or salt particles are released into the cloud.
Crystal Formation: These particles act as nuclei for water vapor to condense around.
Rainfall Enhancement: The condensed moisture grows heavy enough to fall as rain.
The entire process is safe and doesn’t cause acid rain or toxic fallout.
🇮🇳 Cloud Seeding in India: Past Experiments
India has already experimented with cloud seeding in:
Maharashtra: To combat drought
Karnataka: For monsoon enhancement
Hyderabad (2022): Successfully induced rainfall during pollution peaks
Delhi’s Environment Ministry also explored the possibility in 2019 but did not proceed due to regulatory hurdles and cloud unavailability.
🏙️ Can Cloud Seeding Really Help Delhi?
✅ The Case For:
Artificial rain can settle suspended pollutants and reduce PM2.5 levels by 50%–80% for a short duration.
Temporary relief during pollution emergencies.
Works best when natural cloud cover is already present.
❌ The Challenges:
Not all clouds are suitable.
Results are not 100% guaranteed.
Requires exact timing, planning, and clearances.
Costs ₹10–15 crore per successful operation.
“It’s a short-term fix, not a systemic solution,” says Anil Khurana, environmental engineer at TERI.
📉 Environmental and Ethical Considerations
Silver Iodide is generally safe, but overuse could lead to unknown ecological impacts.
Manipulating weather raises questions about consent, impact on surrounding areas, and long-term effectiveness.
Cloud seeding should be viewed as complementary to efforts like:
Electric vehicle adoption
Construction dust regulation
Stubble management in Punjab and Haryana
🌤️ What the Experts Recommend
Dr. Ankur Taneja, Weather Tech Specialist:
“Use cloud seeding during peak pollution months, combined with emergency protocols and real-time weather modeling.”
Dr. Shreya Singh, Public Health Policy Advisor:
“Consider cloud seeding only as a last-resort measure, not a substitute for clean energy policies and crop residue management.”
🌍 What Other Countries Are Doing
China: Regularly uses cloud seeding before large events to clear skies.
UAE: Has an ongoing cloud seeding program to increase rainfall.
USA: Uses it to boost snowfall in drought-prone regions.
These case studies offer templates for India to adapt technology effectively and ethically.
📌 Final Take: Can Delhi Skies Be Saved?
Cloud seeding could become a part of India’s emergency response toolkit to fight deadly smog. But real progress will come from systemic reforms in energy, transport, and agriculture.
Until then, the idea of making it rain on command might remain more promise than panacea—but in moments of crisis, even temporary relief can save lives.
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