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Aam Aadmi Party Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday accused the Delhi government of squandering crores of taxpayers' money on the cloud seeding initiative, terming it as a "pointless drama".
Speaking to ANI, Bharadwaj claimed that multiple expert agencies, including the Environment Ministry, CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), IMD (India Meteorological Department), and CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management), had earlier advised that artificial rain was not feasible in Delhi during this season and could even pose health risks. "Clearly, the Delhi government wasted crores of taxpayers' money on a pointless drama. There were expert opinions from the Environment Minister of the Centre government, the CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), the IMD (India Meteorological Department), and the CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) that artificial rain is not possible in Delhi during this season, and that people might get diseases as a result," the AAP leader said. "When the Delhi government received this report 6 to 8 months earlier, then how could it spend money on it? CM Rekha Gupta should answer this," Bharadwaj said further. Cloud seeding is an advanced weather modification science, intended to trigger or enhance rainfall from suitable clouds by introducing selected particles--such as silver iodide or sodium chloride--using aircraft or other means. The Delhi Government completed two consecutive cloud seeding operations as part of its robust air quality management strategy. The cloud seeding scheduled to be held on Wednesday in the national capital was put on hold, given the insufficient moisture in the clouds. According to a statement issued by IIT Kanpur, the process is highly dependent on the right atmospheric conditions. "While rainfall could not be triggered yesterday because moisture levels were around 15 to 20 per cent, the trial delivered valuable insights," the statement read. IIT Kanpur said that the monitoring stations set up across Delhi captured real-time changes in particulate matter and moisture levels. "The data shows a measurable reduction of 6 to 10 per cent in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, indicating that even under limited moisture conditions, cloud seeding can contribute to improved air quality. These observations strengthen our planning for future operations and allow us to better identify conditions where this intervention can deliver maximum benefit. Such learnings form the foundation for more effective deployments ahead," the statement read. (ANI)
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