How might the "artificial rain" initiative of IIT Kanpur assist reduce pollution in Delhi? Described

 How might the "artificial rain" initiative of IIT Kanpur assist reduce pollution in Delhi? Described

The pollution in Delhi has been becoming worse over the last few days, which is creating serious issues for its citizens and covering nearby cities in northern India, such as Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and other places, in a poisonous cloud. The Delhi air quality index (AQI) was at a "very poor" level of 398 as of Wednesday at 5 p.m.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has put out the concept of "artificial rain" as a solution to this problem, with the aim of lowering pollution levels in the nation's capital. According to the Economic Times, the institution performed testing for this invention in July of this year. It has been under development since 2018. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), among other government agencies, has granted the researchers the authorization they need to do cloud seeding for this reason.

The project's driving aggression, Manindra Agrawal, a professor in the computer scientific and technological department at IIT Kanpur, said that residents of the National Capital Region (NCR) who are suffering from poor air quality could receive temporary relief for a period of time from artificial rain, according to the ET report.

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) divides its activities into four categories: 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400) for Stage II, 'Poor' (AQI 201-300) for Stage III, 'Severe' (AQI 401-450), and 'Severe Plus' (AQI >450) for Stage IV.

Is cloud seeding a thing?

By putting certain chemicals into clouds, a man-made technique known as "cloud seeding" is used to artificially enhance rainfall. It has many benefits, such as lessening the effects of droughts, averting forest fires, boosting precipitation, and improving air quality.

Using aircraft and helicopters, chemicals such as potassium iodide, silver iodide, and pat it dry ice are launched into the sky during cloud seeding. Rain clouds are created when water vapor is drawn to these substances. Using this strategy, it normally takes thirty minutes or less to start raining.

There are two types of cloud seeding procedures, according to ScienceDirect. The goal of hygroscopic cloud seeding is to hasten the process by which droplets in liquid clouds coalesce, forming bigger droplets that eventually produce precipitation. Particles of salt are usually distributed at the base of the cloud using this technique. The alternative method, known as glaciogenic cloud seeding, aims to create precipitation by stimulating the formation of ice in supercooled clouds. By introducing effective ice nuclei into the cloud—such as dry ice or particles of silver iodide—glaciogenic cloud seeding may initiate heterogeneous ice nucleation.

Application

The national capital, which is in desperate need of cleaner air, must also get permissions from the DGCA, the ministry of home affairs (MHA), and the Special Protection Group, which is in charge of the prime minister's security, before planes may fly over it. The effectiveness of the fake rain also relies on certain climatic elements, such the existence of clouds that are heavy with moisture and appropriate wind patterns.