India News | Cloud Seeding's Role in Reducing Pollution Needs More Research: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said the potential of cloud seeding-induced rainfall in reducing air pollution is an area of research to be investigated with proper documentation.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Singh said cloud-seeding tests were conducted as a research experiment in 2018 and 2019 over the rain-shadow region of Maharashtra's Solapur.

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The results of the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) found that the relative enhancement of rainfall was 46 per cent at some locations as measured by automatic rain gauges.

However, the actual increase in rainfall over a 100-sq. km area was only 18 per cent, Singh said.

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"The environmental and health hazards of cloud seeding and whether cloud seeding-induced rainfall can help reduce air pollution, particularly in highly-polluted urban areas, is an area of research to be investigated with proper documentation and investigation following the guidelines developed in the CAIPEEX," the minister said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)