This is an archive article published on October 23, 2024

As air quality worsens, Delhi minister Gopal Rai writes to Centre for meeting on cloud seeding

Delhi’s air quality has deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ category, with a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 327 recorded on Tuesday.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai (Express Photo)

2 min readNew DelhiOct 23, 2024 04:39 PM IST First published on: Oct 23, 2024 at 04:39 PM IST

Taking into account the worsening air quality in Delhi, Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday called for considering cloud seeding as an emergency measure to induce rain and reduce pollution. He urged the Centre to convene a meeting with all stakeholders to approve the use of the technique in the capital.

Delhi’s air quality has deteriorated to the “very poor” category, with a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 327 recorded on Tuesday. After the AQI worsened, an action plan as per stage II of the graded response action plan (GRAP) has come into effect in the city.

Rai said that his previous requests to the Centre, sent on October 10 and August 30, were ignored.

In a letter to Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Rai wrote, “The Government of Delhi previously explored cloud seeding as an emergency measure to artificially induce rain and reduce air pollution during such critical periods and noticed that prior clearances from various Central Government agencies are required to implement the same…Considering the Air Quality in Delhi is likely to turn severe during November, I believe it is imperative to consider the feasibility of this method in our context. I once again request you to immediately convene meetings with all relevant stakeholders.”

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Besides the environment ministry, the Delhi Government, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Special Protection Group, the Airport Authority of India, the Central Pollution Control Board, the India Meteorological Department, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation are among the stakeholders.

Rai wrote that the focus of the meeting was “on coordinating efforts to implement cloud seeding and evaluate its feasibility, as an emergency measure”.