The air in Delhi remains dangerously polluted thanks to emissions from vehicles, power plants, industry, construction dust, burning of waste and agricultural fires. Cloud-seeding - injecting silver iodide or salts into clouds to trigger rainfall - is being proposed as a quick fix for the smog, but it fundamentally cannot address the root of the problem.

First, cloud seeding requires the presence of rain-bearing clouds - if the sky is clear or inversion layers dominate, no artificial rain can be produced.
Secondly, even where rainfall is induced, it provides only a brief “wash-out” of airborne particles; long-term air-quality improvement depends on cutting emissions at source.

 Thirdly, the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of cloud seeding for air-pollution control is limited and inconsistent - many studies emphasise that it should not replace structural emission-control measures. In short: while cloud seeding might offer a fleeting respite, it should not divert attention or resources away from the far more important task of tackling vehicle exhaust, coal-fired plants, construction dust and open burning that are driving Delhi’s chronic air crisis.