How can IIT Kanpur's ‘artificial rain’ help curb Delhi pollution issue? Explained

livemint.com:

air quality index (AQI) in Delhi stood at a 'very poor' level of 398. To address this issue, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has proposed the idea of "artificial rain" to reduce pollution levels in the national capital. This project has been in development since 2018, and the institute conducted trials in July of this year, as reported by the Economic Times.

The researchers have secured the necessary permissions from government authorities, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to carry out cloud seeding for this purpose. Manindra Agrawal, a professor in the computer science and engineering department at IIT Kanpur and the driving force behind this project, explained that artificial rain could provide temporary relief for up to a week to residents in the National Capital Region (NCR) suffering from poor air quality, according to the ET report. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) classifies its actions into four stages: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI >450).

Cloud seeding is an artificial method used to increase rainfall by introducing certain substances into clouds that serves various purposes, including reducing the impact of droughts, preventing forest fires, increasing precipitation, and enhancing air quality. During cloud seeding, chemicals like silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice are released into the sky using airplanes and helicopters. These chemicals attract water vapour, leading to the formation of rain clouds.