A day after two cloud seeding trials in Delhi failed to produce rainfall, IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agrawal has clarified that further attempts will be made only when the moisture content in clouds reaches at least 40 to 50 percent. The Delhi government had paused the ongoing experiment on Wednesday, citing insufficient moisture in the clouds.

Speaking to ANI, Agrawal explained that no forecast predicts such high moisture content for October 30, but he expressed optimism that the conditions might develop within the next three to four days. “We are hoping for a cloud cover over the next four to five days and we have kept the aircraft ready in Meerut so that at short notice we can fly,” he said. He added that cloud seeding operations are geographically limited to the east and north parts of Delhi due to airport restrictions in the west and south, and VIP zones in central Delhi.

Agrawal emphasized that the success of cloud seeding also depends on wind speed and the direction in which clouds are moving. “I understand the disappointment in people because they were hoping and expecting it to rain. All I can say is we’ll keep trying, and we hope that we can get a good cloud cover and we can make it rain,” he said.

The first two trials were conducted on Tuesday in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, using two aircraft equipped with salt-based and silver iodide flares. Each aircraft carried eight flares and hovered over the northwest areas of Delhi in an attempt to induce artificial rainfall. Despite these efforts, no rainfall was observed.

According to IIT Kanpur, the two trials incurred a cost of ₹60 lakh. Overall, the first two trials of the cloud seeding project cost the Delhi government around ₹1.28 crore. The project, approved by the Delhi Cabinet in May, has an allocation of ₹3.21 crore for five trials, each costing approximately ₹64 lakh.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the government plans to conduct 9-10 trials over the coming days, depending on suitable weather conditions. Agrawal’s remarks indicate that the timing of the next attempts will largely depend on meteorological factors such as cloud moisture levels and wind patterns, rather than a fixed schedule.

The cloud seeding initiative is part of Delhi’s efforts to tackle water scarcity during the dry season, using silver iodide and salt-based flares to induce rainfall in targeted areas. While the initial trials did not yield the desired results, authorities remain committed to continuing the program under favorable conditions.

In short, the next cloud seeding trial in Delhi will be attempted only when cloud moisture reaches 40-50 percent, potentially within the next three to four days, with operations constrained by wind conditions and restricted zones in the capital.