Delhi govt ready to bear cost of artificial rain to combat pollution: Officials
artificial rain to combat hazardous air pollution in the city and directed the chief secretary to present the government's views before the Supreme Court on Friday, officials said.
If the Centre supports the decision, the Delhi government can arrange for the first phase of artificial rain in the city by November 20, they said on Thursday.
«In a significant development, the Delhi government has decided to bear the cost of artificial rain that could be made to happen by November 20 if the Centre extends its support to the Delhi government,» said a senior government functionary.
«The chief secretary has been directed to inform the Supreme court that the Delhi government has in principle agreed, based on the advice of an IIT-Kanpur team, to bear the cost of Phase 1 and Phase 2 pilots (totalling Rs 13 Crore) for carrying out artificial rain,» he said.
The Arvind Kejriwal government plans to induce artificial rain through cloud seeding technology to combat air pollution in Delhi, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday after meeting the IIT-Kanpur team.
The IIT-Kanpur team claimed that successful trials of artificial rain have been carried out in Kanpur, resulting in success in six out of seven attempts.
They further confirmed the prima facie feasibility of trying out the technology in Delhi during winter to reduce air pollution levels, the officials said.
They said according to inputs from the IIT-Kanpur team, permissions from 10 central government ministries and agencies as well as the Uttar Pradesh government will be required to induce artificial rain.
The city government was also informed by the team that the estimated cost of the project will be around Rs 1 lakh per square kilometre.
The team recommended
