A fierce political tussle broke out in Delhi after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) questioned the success of the recent cloud seeding trials conducted to combat air pollution, accusing the BJP and the Centre of wasting public money on an “unscientific” experiment. The BJP, in turn, accused AAP of belittling scientific research and obstructing innovation.

The trials, carried out jointly by the Delhi government and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, took place on Tuesday across Burari, north Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar. The goal was to induce artificial rainfall to bring down pollution levels. However, no measurable rainfall occurred within the capital, though light showers were reported in parts of Noida and Greater Noida, prompting a sharp exchange of words between the two parties.

AAP’s Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the experiment, calling it a “publicity-driven activity.” He said that central agencies — the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) — had already called such procedures scientifically unsuitable for Delhi. “When these agencies had said cloud seeding cannot be done in Delhi, why undertake it now?” he asked, accusing the BJP of misleading people through false promises of rain and wasting taxpayers’ money on an impossible task.

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Responding to the criticism, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva defended the initiative as “a legitimate scientific experiment.” He argued that the outcome should not be seen as a failure but as part of the learning process. “Even India’s Chandrayaan mission did not succeed in the first attempt,” he said. He also accused AAP of mocking scientific institutions for political mileage and undermining the credibility of research organizations.

Despite limited rainfall, early data from the IIT Kanpur team suggests tangible environmental benefits. A government statement said the trials led to a 41.9 percent reduction in PM10 levels and an overall improvement in the Air Quality Index (AQI) at the targeted locations. The statement added that such experiments are part of a broader pollution-control framework — combining enforcement, waste management, and technological interventions — aimed at tackling Delhi’s persistent air quality crisis.

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