After conducting a test in the Burari area of New Delhi, chief minister Rekha Gupta stated that if the weather conditions remain favourable, the national capital will witness its first artificial rain next week.

"According to the weather department, cloudy conditions are expected on October 28, 29, and 30. If the weather remains favourable, Delhi is likely to witness its first artificial rain on October 29," read a post she made on X.

"This initiative is not only technologically historic but also establishes a scientific approach to combatting pollution in Delhi. The government aims to clean the capital's air and balance its environment through this innovation," Gupta added further.

While the onset of winter season is accompanied with a rise in air pollution, as per experts, the air over the capital transformed from being dominated by photochemical pollutants like ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the first 19 days to particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in the past four days.

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Experts told HT that this data points to a sharp rise in combustion-driven emissions - primarily firecrackers, and aided by emissions from vehicles, industries, and local burning.

From October 20 onwards, the day of Diwali, ozone and carbon monoxide disappeared from the AQI charts, replaced by particulate matter.