Air worsens further due to vehicle fumes
during the winter, still remains a question. Many experiments are being carried out to bring down pollution levels in Delhi. This is another step in that direction which we want to give a try,” Tripathi said.
In 2016, the Delhi government had floated the same idea of triggering artificial rain, which didn’t materialise. According to the World Meteorological Organisation, at least 56 countries had engaged in some sort of cloud seeding till 2016.
The list included the United Arab Emirates, which was trying to meet the water demand, and China, which used cloud seeding in an effort to stop the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony from getting drenched with rain.
“We can do cloud seeding only if there is a cloud. I think IMD has to see if it is feasible and when can it be done if at all,” said CK Mishra, secretary, environment ministry, on the sidelines of a press conference on the meeting of BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, China) nations.
Environment minister Harsh Vardhan declined to comment on anything to do with cloud seeding. NEW DELHI: The city’s air quality worsened further on Tuesday with pollution levels shooting up primarily because of local emissions such as vehicular fumes.
According to officials, adverse weather conditions are also aggravating the city’s pollution levels.
While the Air Quality Index (AQI) value was 330 on Monday, it deteriorated to 373 on Tuesday. This is the fourth consecutive day that the air quality has continued to get fouler. The AQI on November 17 was 267.
“While on one hand the wind velocity is not as strong as to favour faster dispersal of pollutants, high moisture levels in the air are trapping pollutants that are being emitted locally. The contribution from stubble burning is negligible,” a Central Pollution Control Board scientist said.
Safar, one of the pollution fore- casting agencies of the union government, has forecasted that AQI levels would continue to remain in the very poor category at least over the next two or three days.
“The concentration of PM2.5 (the primary pollutant) could drop on Wednesday. This is because wind speed is likely to increase. But the pollution levels will rise again on Thursday,” a scientist from Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) said. IITM runs the air quality early warning system of Delhi.
The India Meteorological Department has forecasted that there will be light fog or mist on most days over the course of the next week.
The night temperature will hover between 12 degrees Celsius and 14 degrees Celsius.
On Tuesday, the night temperature was recorded as 13.5 degrees Celsius, while the day temperature stood at 28.8 degrees Celsius, both of which were one degree above normal.