The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Delhi on the lack of rain following cloud seeding experiments to tackle air pollution a day ear;oer.

At a press conference, the AAP’s Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj also accused the Delhi government of “wasting taxpayers’ money” and perpetrating a scam in the name of cloud seeding.

Cloud seeding is the process of combining chemical agents, including silver iodide, dry ice and even common table salt, to condense clouds and increase the chance of rainfall.

As the air quality in Delhi continues to be “poor”, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday ​​that cloud seeding “is a necessity for Delhi”.

On Tuesday, two cloud-seeding trials were held over northwest Delhi’s Burari, Mayur Vihar and Karol Bagh at 12.13 pm and 3.45 pm. However, no rain was observed in the areas.

“For the past few days, it was said that cloud seeding had been done in various areas of Delhi, but there was no rain anywhere,” said Bharadwaj on Friday.

He accused the Delhi government of orchestrating a scam, citing an answer presented by the BJP-led Union government regarding the feasibility of cloud seeding as an emergency measure to improve air quality in Delhi during the winter months.

Kirti Vardhan Singh, the minister of state for environment, had told the Parliament in December that based on requests from the AAP government that was in power in Delhi then, expert opinion was sought from the India Meteorological Department, Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining areas and Central Pollution Control Board.

“Winter clouds in the region are primarily formed due to western disturbances, which are short-lived and travel from west to east,” Singh had said. “When low clouds form due to western disturbances, they typically result in natural rainfall over northwest India, eliminating the need for cloud seeding.”

He had added that limitations in aircraft technology also prevent clouds at higher altitudes from being seeded.

“Furthermore, effective cloud seeding requires specific cloud conditions, which are generally absent during Delhi’s cold and dry winter months,” Singh had said. “Even if suitable clouds were present, the dry atmospheric layer beneath them could cause any developed precipitation to evaporate before reaching the surface.”

On Wednesday, Bharadwaj asked: “When three agencies of the Union government had given their opinion, why did the BJP government [in Delhi] set up this spectacle and circus with the tax money of the public?”

The cloud seeding project in the national capital has been jointly developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and the Delhi government.

Experts have repeatedly pointed out that the experiment is not “very practical” to tackle air pollution as it is expensive, can only cover a limited area and needs very specific meteorological conditions.

They have also said that the respite from pollution through artificial rains is temporary.

📰 Crime Today News is proudly sponsored by DRYFRUIT & CO – A Brand by eFabby Global LLC

Design & Developed by Yes Mom Hosting