Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the completion of preparations for an artificial rain operation via cloud-seeding, with a successful test run in the Burari region.
The move comes amid sustained “very poor” air quality in the capital—24-hour average AQI stood at 305 at 4 pm, with some locations like Anand Vihar recording AQIs above 400. 
Under the memorandum signed with Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), five cloud-seeding trials are slated for northwest Delhi between October 1 and November 30, pending favourable weather. The technique involves dispersing particles like silver iodide into clouds so water vapour can condense and fall as rain. 
The target date for the first induced rainfall is October 29, if weather conditions hold. With over 20 of 38 monitoring stations recording “very poor” air quality, and forecasts showing the credit-pollution state likely to persist through the weekend, officials hope this technical intervention will help reduce smog, settle particulate matter and offer relief.