Why Cloud Seeding Failed to Bring Rain in Delhi: IIT Kanpur Director Explains

Cloud seeding has sparked hopes of artificial rain and pollution control in Delhi, but recent attempts have not delivered the expected results. As explained by IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agarwal, there were key scientific and environmental reasons why cloud seeding failed in the capital this week.

Limited Moisture: The Main Barrier

One of the foremost reasons cloud seeding failed in Delhi was the low moisture content in the clouds targeted by the experiment. According to Manindra Agarwal, the clouds present had only about 15-20% moisture—a figure far too low for effective rain induction through cloud seeding failed trials. Rainfall via cloud seeding requires a substantially higher moisture threshold; when clouds fall short, silver iodide or other seeding agents simply cannot precipitate water.

The team fired 14 flares containing a mixture of 20% silver iodide along with rock salt and common salt, yet no rain was recorded. Agarwal stressed that conflicting weather predictions further complicated planning, but regardless of forecast, it was the lack of moisture in the cloud layer that ensured cloud seeding failed.

Trial and Error: Scientific Confidence Builds

Despite cloud seeding failed attempts, the process provided valuable insights to the expert team. Agarwal said the trials have bolstered confidence to keep experimenting as weather conditions shift in coming days. More flights are being planned, with hopes that increased cloud moisture or better meteorological windows might yield different outcomes.

Not a Permanent Solution for Pollution

Agarwal was candid that cloud seeding failed to deliver sustainable solutions to Delhi’s chronic pollution issues. He described the method as an “SOS solution”—a temporary measure that may offer short-term relief but cannot address root causes of pollution. Real progress, he argued, demands tackling pollution at its source, rather than relying on interventions like cloud seeding failed attempts.

Impact on Pollution and Cost Factors

Though rain did not fall in Delhi, the cloud seeding failed initiative yielded slight precipitation in nearby regions—0.1 mm in Noida and double that in Greater Noida. More notably, a Delhi government report cited a reduction in particulate matter where trials were conducted; PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels fell by measurable margins in parts of East and North Delhi following the cloud seeding failed experiment.

Still, Agarwal noted that conducting flights from Uttar Pradesh made the intervention expensive, though costs could be lowered with future adjustments in logistics. Even incremental reductions in pollution levels from cloud seeding failed attempts were seen as beneficial by authorities, but none claimed it as a panacea.

Public Perspective and Next Steps

Delhi residents and officials may feel disappointed that cloud seeding in Delhi failed to induce rainfall as many had hoped. However, the scientific community recognizes that such failures prompt improvements in methodology and understanding. The IIT Kanpur team emphasized that further experiments will be conducted whenever conditions support meaningful results, but the limitations of cloud seeding failed attempts are now clearer than ever.

Conclusion

The latest Delhi experiment reveals why, despite high expectations, cloud seeding failed to bring rain: insufficient moisture, unpredictable weather, and logistical complexity all played a role. As outlined by IIT Kanpur’s director, cloud seeding failed because it is not a guaranteed fix—it remains a costly, temporary, and condition-dependent answer to acute pollution and drought, not a replacement for long-term solutions.

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