Reducing air pollution with artificial rain

SGGP November 11, 2023 07:25

New Delhi authorities have for the first time planned to create artificial rain to try to improve air quality in the world's most polluted capital, which has been shrouded in smog for the past week.

Faced with severe air pollution, the government of the capital New Delhi has ordered schools to close, stopped construction activities and announced that it will impose restrictions on vehicles.

Thiết bị phun nước để giảm bụi vận hành bên ngoài Tòa án tối cao Ấn Độ tại New Delhi. Ảnh: ANI

Water spraying equipment to reduce dust operates outside the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi. Photo: ANI

The head of the New Delhi Environment Agency, Gopal Rai, said the local government will try to create artificial rain through cloud seeding as part of a series of measures to combat air pollution in the city.

In a recent meeting, scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) said that cloud seeding can only be done if there are clouds or moisture in the atmosphere. Experts predict that such situations may arise around the end of November. According to Mr. Rai, the proposal made by the experts on artificial rain-making measures will be presented to the Supreme Court of India.

New Delhi’s air quality index was recorded at over 320 in the early morning of November 8, a level that Swiss group IQAir classifies as “hazardous,” before dropping to 294 later. Shortly afterward, the capital city of New Delhi announced the closure of all public and private schools from November 9 to 18 for a winter break earlier than originally scheduled for January.

Authorities have also stepped in with a number of measures, with the Supreme Court of India ordering states surrounding New Delhi to stop farmers from burning agricultural waste. The Council for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has banned trucks from entering the inner city, except those carrying essential goods.

In addition, government agencies and private offices will operate with only 50% of their staff. All construction activities, except those related to railways, metro, airports and other projects of national importance, will also be suspended to help reduce the amount of dust released into the air. In fact, school closures and restrictions on the number of employees in offices in the Delhi metropolitan area have been implemented since previous years every winter.

The CAQM, under an Act of Parliament, is empowered to take measures to reduce air pollution in the entire capital New Delhi and parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, but falling within the Delhi National Capital Region. The body convened on the orders of the Supreme Court to address the air pollution crisis that has reached alarming levels.

In addition, another notable decision is that manufacturing facilities using natural gas in the Delhi capital region are required to use only this fuel to operate machinery to reduce pollutant emissions. Manufacturing facilities that do not comply will be closed. In addition, only 5 out of 11 power plants within a 300km radius around New Delhi are allowed to operate, the rest must be suspended.

Source