Power deficit
As India braces itself for the looming power shortfall in June, it finds itself at a critical juncture where the balance between energy security and environmental sustainability is under intense scrutiny.
With Delhi witnessing severe air pollution, Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday said the government is considering to attempt artificial rain in the city on November 20-21.
Talking to media, he said the AAP dispensation is looking at executing a pilot project of artificial rain through cloud seeding by IIT Kanpur experts if the sky is cloudy and all necessary permissions are obtained.
“As the weather is predicted to cloudy on November 20-21 in Delhi, the experts have been asked to send a proposal by Thursday and so that it can be presented before the Supreme Court for permission,” he said.
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The Delhi government on Wednesday held a meeting with experts from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and CII, and asked for a proposal on artificial rain through cloud seeding by Thursday.
Rai along with his cabinet colleague Atishi discussed with experts from IIT Kanpur and CII exploring possibilities of artificial rain to improve Delhi’s air quality.
According to the minister, it was the second meeting with cloud seeding experts from IIT Kanpur, while the first meeting was held on September 12.
Rai also mentioned about the unfavourable meteorological conditions, including low wind speed, drop in temperature since eight to 10 days, adding that the same was responsible for making the air pollution stagnant, and things are likely to remain similar in the coming days.
Meanwhile, residents of Delhi remained in dire straits with air quality back to severe category, recording an average Air Quality Index(AQI) value of 426.
NCR cities like Greater Noida , Noida and Faridabad also reeled under ‘severe’ air on Wednesday.
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