(MENAFN) India has launched a trial cloud seeding operation over New Delhi in an effort to reduce the city’s worsening air pollution, which has surged to “very poor” levels following Diwali celebrations, according to officials.

The Hindu festival of lights, marked by widespread use of firecrackers, has added to the capital’s pollution crisis this week, compounding seasonal winter emissions that trap smog close to the ground.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa confirmed that a test flight took place Thursday, during which “cloud seeding flares were fired.” He explained that the flight served as “the proving flight for checking the capabilities for cloud seeding, the readiness and endurance of the aircraft, the capability assessment of the cloud seeding fitments and flares, and coordination among all involved agencies.”

Authorities are now preparing for what could become New Delhi’s first artificial rainfall event. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta wrote on the US-based social media platform X: “The weather department has indicated the possibility of cloud presence on October 28, 29, and 30. If conditions remain favorable, Delhi will experience its first artificial rain on October 29.”

She added: “This initiative is not only historic from a technical perspective but is also set to establish a scientific method to combat pollution in Delhi…”

Air quality across the capital and nearby regions has deteriorated for several days, worsened by Diwali fireworks, industrial emissions, and seasonal crop burning in neighboring states. Experts say New Delhi’s pollution crisis is driven by a mix of weather patterns and human activity that prevent pollutants from dispersing.

The federal Air Quality Early Warning System forecasted that pollution will remain in the “very poor to poor category” over the coming days, signaling persistent health and environmental concerns for the city’s more than 16 million residents.

MENAFN25102025000045017281ID1110245792