On Wednesday, News18 reported that the Delhi government has started working on a “winter action plan” for the national capital to deal with recurring air pollution. (PTI file)
In his letter, Gopal Rai told Bhupender Yadav that he believes the feasibility of artificial rainfall must be assessed keeping in mind the air quality in the city during the winter, especially around Diwali.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday wrote to Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Minister Bhupender Yadav requesting an urgent meeting with stakeholders, Evaluating artificial rainfall to combat winter air pollution in Delhi and obtaining necessary permissions.
In his letter, Rai told Yadav that he believed the feasibility of artificial rainfall must be assessed keeping in mind the air quality in the city during the winter, especially around Diwali. Implementing cloud seeding at any specific location requires prior permission from various federal government agencies.
Rai sought an urgent meeting with all stakeholders, including representatives from agencies like MoEFCC, Delhi government, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and India Meteorological Department (IMD), to evaluate artificial rainfall as an emergency measure and obtain necessary permissions.
On Wednesday, News18 reported that the Delhi government has started working on a “winter action plan” for the national capital to deal with recurring air pollution, with the focus likely to be on artificial rainfall during winter to combat air pollution.
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Rai also said on Wednesday that due to joint efforts, the number of good, satisfactory and moderate days was 110 in 2016 and increased to 206 by 2023.
This time, the city is exploring alternative solutions to provide immediate relief as air quality reaches alarming levels. Last year, the Delhi government considered artificial rainfall as an emergency measure during periods of hazardous air quality and asked IIT Kanpur to come up with a comprehensive report.
this letter
Rai reminded Yadav that every winter, Delhi's air quality reaches dangerous levels due to smog concentration and low wind speed, posing serious threats to residents' health and environmental degradation.
“This year's Deepavali will coincide with the burning of Palali, which may make the air quality hazardous. The Delhi government has implemented various measures under the winter action plan to tackle air pollution and is continuously working to explore alternative solutions , for immediate relief if air quality becomes a concern.
Rao added that artificial rainfall is a process that involves artificial rainfall to reduce air pollution by removing pollutants from the atmosphere. “Given the critical situation in Delhi every November, I think it is necessary to consider the feasibility of this approach in our context,” he said.
action plan
On September 5, Rai will also hold a meeting with relevant departments on the winter action plan to formulate a joint action plan. The meeting will deploy specific tasks for each department based on the key tasks identified in the Winter Action Plan.
Almost every year, especially after Diwali, Delhi's air quality slips into hazardous levels, forcing the government to close schools and construction work.
