Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday wrote to Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), to convene an urgent meeting with stakeholders to evaluate cloud seeding to combat Delhi’s winter air pollution and secure necessary permissions.
In the letter, Rai told Yadav that he believes it is imperative to assess the feasibility of artificial rain keeping in mind the city’s air quality in winter, particularly around Diwali. Prior clearances from various agencies of the Union government are required to implement cloud seeding at any particular spot.
Rai seeks an urgent meeting with all stakeholders, including representatives from MoEFCC, Delhi government, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and India Meteorological Department (IMD) among others to evaluate cloud seeding as an emergency measure and secure necessary permissions.
On Wednesday, News18 had reported that the Delhi government has started work on the ‘Winter Action Plan’ for the national capital to fight recurring air pollution with likely focus on artificial rain during the winter months to fight air pollution.
Rai also said on Wednesday that due to joint efforts, while the number of good, satisfactory and moderate days were 110 in 2016, they increased to 206 in 2023.
This time, the city government is exploring alternate solutions for immediate relief if air quality becomes alarming. Last year, the Delhi government considered cloud seeding as an emergency measure during hazardous air quality days, and asked IIT Kanpur to come up with a comprehensive presentation.
THE LETTER
Rai reminded Yadav about how during every winter, the air quality in Delhi reaches hazardous levels due to smog concentration and low wind speed, posing severe health risks to the population and environmental degradation.
“This year, Deepawali is going to coincide with parali burning which is likely to turn the air quality hazardous. The Government of Delhi has already implemented various measures to combat air pollution under Winter Action Plan and is making continuous efforts to explore alternate solutions for immediate relief, in case of air quality becoming alarming,” he said.
Cloud seeding, Rao added, is a process that involves the artificial induction of rain, to reduce air pollution by washing out pollutants from the atmosphere. “Given the critical situation in Delhi during the month of November every year, I believe it is imperative to consider the feasibility of this method in our context,” he said.
THE ACTION PLAN
On September 5, Rai will also hold a meeting with all departments concerned regarding the Winter Action Plan and a joint action plan will be prepared. In the meeting, different departments will be assigned specific tasks based on the focus points set under the Winter Action Plan.
Almost every year, particularly after Diwali, the air quality of Delhi slips into hazardous levels, forcing the government to shut schools and construction work.
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