Delhi experienced a sharp deterioration in air quality on Thursday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 352, marking an 80-point increase from Tuesday’s average. The decline occurred as the city’s much-anticipated cloud seeding experiment failed to produce results.
Widespread Pollution Levels
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data revealed that 32 of Delhi’s 38 monitoring stations recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, with several areas entering the ‘severe’ category. Vivek Vihar registered the highest AQI at 415, followed by Anand Vihar at 409, both classified as ‘severe’. Wazirpur recorded an AQI of 394.
The AQI scale classifies 0-50 as ‘good’, 51-100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 as ‘moderate’, 201-300 as ‘poor’, 301-400 as ‘very poor’, and 401-500 as ‘severe’.
Satellite cities including Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurgaon also experienced ‘very poor’ air quality. The weather department predicted light rainfall later Thursday across Noida, Dadri, Greater Noida, Faridabad, and parts of Haryana.
Cloud Seeding Experiment Unsuccessful
The deteriorating conditions followed an unsuccessful cloud seeding attempt conducted by the Delhi government in collaboration with IIT Kanpur. The experiment, Delhi’s first in over five decades, involved two trial rounds aimed at inducing artificial rain to reduce pollutants.
The IIT Kanpur team attributed the failure to insufficient atmospheric moisture. When trials were conducted Tuesday, cloud moisture content measured only 10-15%, significantly below the required 50-60% humidity threshold for successful cloud seeding.
The failed experiment resulted in continued hazy skies and reduced visibility across multiple city areas.
Emergency Measures Implemented
With Delhi’s AQI consistently ranging between 300 and 400 over the past two weeks—approximately 20 times the acceptable limit—authorities have activated Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) II measures. These restrictions include curbs on construction activities and a ban on non-BS-VI compliant commercial vehicles entering Delhi from November 1.
The persistent pollution crisis continues to pose health risks for Delhi’s residents, with no immediate natural weather interventions expected to provide relief. The unsuccessful cloud seeding experiment highlights the challenges of implementing artificial weather modification in unfavorable atmospheric conditions.
