A fresh cloud-seeding trial is likely to be conducted over Delhi in the coming days, with an IIT Kanpur team ready to begin the operation if cloud conditions provide sufficient moisture, officials associated with the exercise said. The trial is intended to examine whether induced rainfall can help address the national capital’s pollution crisis.
The timing will depend on meteorological conditions, particularly the moisture content in the clouds. An official associated with the operation said the team was ready and that a flight path would be prepared immediately if conditions were suitable. The operation would involve an aircraft flying over parts of Delhi and releasing chemical particles into appropriate clouds.
Cloud seeding is a weather-modification technique in which substances such as silver iodide are introduced into suitable clouds. These particles can encourage the formation of ice crystals or water droplets, potentially increasing rainfall. The technique cannot operate independently of weather conditions, and the availability of clouds with adequate moisture is a key requirement for the proposed trial.
The exercise would be Delhi’s latest attempt to assess whether cloud seeding can produce rainfall during a period when the city faces persistent concerns over air quality. The proposed operation is being carried out with the involvement of a team from IIT Kanpur, which has been associated with the exercise.
Delhi’s previous cloud-seeding experiment took place on October 28, 2025, when the Delhi government conducted two trials in succession. A small aircraft flew over parts of the city and released silver iodide and sodium chloride particles through chemical flares.
That experiment produced little to no rainfall over Delhi and neighbouring areas, according to the report. The limited result led experts to question the effectiveness of the technique under the conditions in which the earlier operation was conducted. The new trial therefore comes with the outcome of the previous exercise already forming part of the public record.
The proposed operation does not yet have a fixed date. Officials said the flight would take place only when meteorological conditions, including cloud moisture, were considered appropriate. If those conditions develop, the team is expected to draw up a flight path and proceed with the trial.
The exercise reflects the administration’s continuing search for measures that could generate rainfall and potentially help tackle pollution in Delhi. However, the source report does not establish that the proposed trial will produce measurable rainfall or deliver a sustained improvement in air quality. Its immediate next step remains dependent on the availability of suitable clouds over the national capital.
