Cloud seeding does not fix the causes of Delhi's air pollution (emissions from traffic, industry, burning, trapped under winter inversions), nor does it solve structural water stress, which comes from overuse and mismanagement of groundwater and surface water. -- Internet
Delhi, infamous around the world for its toxic air, could be the site of a crime thriller pivoting around AQI (Air Quality Index), a standardised measure used to communicate how polluted the air is -- or how polluted it is forecast to become.
Picture this: Enid Blyton, beloved children's mystery writer, in her inimitable style, penning a new Five Find-Outers adventure titled The Mystery of the Missing AQI Data. The scene is set in Delhi, where the air is thick with Diwali smog, and the intrepid gang -- Fatty, Pip, Bets, Larry, Daisy, and trusty Buster -- discover a baffling case: the city's Air Quality Index data has vanished into thin air (pun intended). In the real world, India's urban development challenges -- like Delhi's haze -- often get lost in a fog of shiny promises and missed outcomes.
Returning to Delhi after a brief break in Kashmir, one is immediately confronted with the real-life mystery of missing AQI data. A front-page report noted that this Diwali's outage was unprecedented: 173 hours of AQI data missing across 31 monitoring stations, with 163 of those hours coinciding with peak pollution. By contrast, the day after Diwali last year saw 41 hours of missing data, including 34 during the worst pollution period. These figures, based on hourly data from the Central Pollution Control Board, raise troubling questions -- not just about transparency, but accountability.
Meanwhile, the air is abuzz with talk of cloud seeding and artificial rain. The BJP-led Delhi government is promoting it, echoing a similar proposal by the earlier Aam Aadmi Party government. Is this really a solution to Delhi's chronic air pollution? Numerous scientists have expressed scepticism.
Dr Roxy Mathew Koll, globally renowned climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, explains that agencies use cloud seeding to study how clouds form and whether it is possible to slightly increase rainfall under the right conditions. "There is evidence from controlled programmes that, in some cases, seeding can enhance precipitation by perhaps 5-15 per cent, but only when suitable clouds with enough moisture are already present. It cannot create rain from clear skies, and it is least effective in very dry or stagnant winter conditions. At best, it may offer short, local relief -- for example, a brief washout of particles or a modest boost to water supply -- but this effect is temporary, and often small. It does not fix the causes of Delhi's air pollution (emissions from traffic, industry, burning, trapped under winter inversions), nor does it solve structural water stress, which comes from overuse and mismanagement of groundwater and surface water. Treating cloud seeding as a cure for pollution or drought is misguided policy. We still must cut the pollution at source to clean the air, and we still must manage and conserve water to secure supply. Weather modification cannot substitute for that," he told me.
India's urban environmental challenges -- air pollution, river degradation, floodplain mismanagement -- continue to be routinely filtered through the lens of electoral politics, irrespective of which political party is in power. Short-term political gains often trump long-term sustainability. Visible wins for key voter groups take precedence over scientifically sound solutions.
Clean air has now become a luxury commodity. As the capital battles toxic air, five-star hotels have stepped in with a new offering: clean air. Rooms are equipped with cutting-edge filtration systems; some hotels claim their indoor air is cleaner than that of major cities in the developed world. Real estate developers too want a chunk of the clean air pie. The luxury housing segment in the National Capital Region now markets clean air as a premium feature to the uber-elite while the rest of the city chokes. This commodification of clean air underscores a deeper crisis: environmental degradation is not just a public health issue -- it is also a social equity issue. Vulnerable communities, often migrants or slum dwellers, bear the brunt of environmental degradation.
Which brings me to the second headline-grabber. This year's Chhath Puja in Delhi unfolded on an unprecedented scale. Consider the newly-built Chhath ghats on the Yamuna floodplains: 17 ghats were built for the four-day festival. Early reports and visual documentation suggest these preparations may violate National Green Tribunal directions, which prohibit construction and alteration of floodplain terrain. This year, the government has also allowed worship directly in the Yamuna for the first time in five years. FIRs filed against devotees in 2021 under AAP were withdrawn. The timing, just ahead of the Bihar elections, signals a strategic outreach to the Purvanchali community. Froth suppression drives, diverted water flows and VIP arrangements turned the riverbanks into a showcase of faith and electoral optics.
While the full extent of the environmental impact will only become clear after the festival, the methods being employed -- soil filling, gravel layering and ramp construction -- have already raised concerns among ecologists and activists. The next time it rains heavily, less water will seep underground; more will flood homes and streets.
Despite these warnings, the festival's popularity continues to grow. This raises the core issue: the template of pitting optics over outcomes. What do we choose?
Clearly, politicians typically prioritise actions that are visible immediately and emotionally resonant with voters, like constructing Chhath ghats, over those that are scientifically sound or environmentally sustainable. Despite widespread pollution and ecological degradation, environmental concerns remain secondary to livelihood and identity politics in most Indian elections. Measures like artificial rain or smog towers are high-visibility interventions that signal action, even if their effectiveness is questionable. They serve as political theatre more than environmental solutions.
Urban green spaces and wetlands are often sacrificed for infrastructure projects that cater to vote banks or special interests. Air pollution leads to respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular problems, and shortened life expectancy. Systemic solutions like reducing vehicular emissions or regulating construction dust are often delayed or diluted. Long-term planning is undermined by short-term political cycles.
But we would be mistaken to give up on the ordinary voter. Those celebrating a new Chhath ghat or hoping for cleaner air every day via artificial rain or smog towers are not ignoring reality: they are responding to what is offered in a polarised, resource-starved context. Breaking this cycle means making citizens more aware, and demanding. If there were no market for snake oil, would it be sold? If environmental issues became vote-worthy, parties would have to offer real policies and practices. Courts and citizen movements have pushed back at times, but sustained pressure is essential. Until then, optics will continue to trump outcomes.