Delhi govt seeks Centre’s nod for artificial rain amid rising pollution

Amid worsening air quality in Delhi, Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday urged the Centre to intervene and approve artificial rain through cloud seeding as an emergency measure to combat the severe pollution crisis in the national capital.

In a letter addressed to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Rai called for an urgent meeting and



immediate approval for cloud seeding operations.

Pollution levels have reached the ‘severe plus’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting a critical 494. Despite implementing the strictest measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage IV, several monitoring stations have recorded AQI levels of 500, indicating a severe-plus situation.