Overview
- IIT Kanpur conducted two sorties on October 28 using a Cessna to seed clouds over northwest Delhi and nearby NCR, deploying 16 flares containing silver iodide and salt compounds.
- The India Meteorological Department recorded no rainfall in Delhi, while trace precipitation of 0.1 mm in Noida and 0.2 mm in Greater Noida was noted in official summaries.
- Humidity during the flights was roughly 10–20%, well below the ~50% typically needed, and IIT Kanpur’s director said the effort was not fully successful.
- Preliminary readings released by the Delhi government and IIT Kanpur showed modest PM2.5 and PM10 declines at several stations (for example, Mayur Vihar PM2.5 fell from 221 to 207 µg/m³), with attribution cautioned by experts.
- More weather‑dependent sorties are planned under a five‑trial MoU and DGCA approval through November, even as scientists describe cloud seeding as a short‑term option with potential ecological risks.