Make it rain: India’s New Delhi bets on first-ever cloud-seeding bid to clear pollution-hit skies
- Authorities scrambling to get preparations in line, following consultation with experts from Indian Institute of Technology
- Data shows that the Indian capital is uninhabitable, with a deadly cocktail of particles capable of damaging the lungs and entering the bloodstream
In India’s capital of New Delhi, rain last Friday brought a breather for nearly 30 million people living under extreme air pollution. But two days later, the skies lit up with firecrackers on Diwali, the annual Hindu festival of light, and the city was back to square one.
Now, the Delhi government is planning to make it rain, artificially.
Following consultation with experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, the Delhi government has scrambled to get preparations in line for so-called cloud-seeding, in what would be the first such attempt to curb pollution in India, Gopal Rai, environment minister of Delhi, told This Week in Asia.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board shows that the capital is uninhabitable – a neighbourhood maxed out the recordable level of 999 on the board’s index, and several crossed the 500 mark.
The deadly mix of airborne particles, mostly PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants, directly damage the lungs, and even enter the bloodstream. Prolonged exposure has been linked to heart and lung diseases, respiratory infections, and adverse birth outcomes.
Stubble burning by farmers in nearby states, as well as emissions from the capital’s transport and industrial sectors, among other factors, compound the breathlessness. To deal with the prevailing emergency, the Delhi government banned construction activities, announced a 10-day break for all schools, and restricted vehicle use.