The Congress on Sunday sharply criticised the Delhi government’s cloud seeding experiment to combat pollution, calling it a “cruel joke” that delivered only minor and short-lived improvements in air quality.
Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP-led government of ignoring scientific advice and spending ₹34 crore on the winter cloud seeding project despite strong objections from key environmental agencies.
Citing a December 2024 Rajya Sabha reply, Ramesh noted that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had all opposed the proposal.
“Winter clouds in the region are primarily formed due to Western Disturbances (WD), which are short-lived and travel from west to east. When low clouds form due to WDs, they typically result in natural rainfall over northwest India, eliminating the need for cloud seeding. High-altitude clouds, which are typically at elevations above 5–6 km, cannot be seeded due to aircraft limitations,” reads the expert opinion.
Furthermore, they noted that “effective cloud seeding requires specific cloud conditions, which are generally absent during Delhi’s cold and dry winter months.”
“Even if suitable clouds were present, the dry atmospheric layer beneath them could cause any developed precipitation to evaporate before reaching the surface. Additionally, concerns about the uncertainties, efficacy, and potential adverse effects of cloud seeding chemicals remain,” they said.
He also referenced an October 31, 2025, report from IIT Delhi’s Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, which concluded that winter cloud seeding would have negligible impact on Delhi’s toxic air.
“Winter cloud seeding may sound impressive, but when scientific evidence dismisses its effectiveness, it turns into nothing more than a headline-grabbing stunt,” Ramesh said, noting that “a slight improvement over a small area for a day or two is hardly a solution—it’s a cruel joke.”
The remarks came just two days after Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed that “science-driven action and enforcement” were yielding results, dismissing allegations of data manipulation. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also defended the initiative, asserting that the city’s pollution data “cannot be tampered with.”
Opposition parties, however, continue to accuse the Delhi government of wasting public money on untested methods and attempting to mask the deepening pollution crisis through data manipulation and publicity stunts.
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