Delhi's Bold Move: Can Cloud Seeding Fight Pollution?

Delhi is trying something new to fight pollution. They are using cloud seeding to make it rain. This is not a common practice in India, but other places have done it before. The idea is to add tiny chemicals to clouds. These chemicals help water droplets form and fall as rain. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur is leading this project. They think rain could start falling anywhere from 15 minutes to four hours after the seeding. If this works, they plan to keep doing it until February. Delhi has a big pollution problem, especially in winter. The air gets heavy and traps dust, car fumes, and smoke from burning crops. This makes it hard for people to breathe. On Tuesday, the air quality was very poor, with a reading of 304. Anything below 50 is considered good. Scientists say that artificial rain can reduce pollution by up to 50%. But it might not last long. Pollution levels could rise again if the rain stops. So, they might need to keep seeding clouds whenever there are clouds in the sky. This is a big experiment. No one knows for sure if it will work. But Delhi is hoping for the best. They need to find a way to clean the air and help people breathe easier.