Lok Sabha Question No. 628 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-23
Subject: Cloud Seeding
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 628 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 23 RD  JULY, 2025

## CLOUD SEEDING

## 628.        SHRI GURMEET SINGH MEET HAYER:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) the current status of country's cloud seeding capabilities including research, technology and operational readiness;
- (b) the  details  of  any  cloud  seeding  tests conducted during  the  last  five  years  including locations, objectives, and outcomes;
- (c) the details of potential applications of cloud seeding in addressing droughts, enhancing agricultural productivity and mitigating extreme weather events;
- (d) whether  studies  have  been  conducted  on  the  environmental  and  health  hazards  of cloud seeding and if so, the key findings thereof;
- (e) whether  cloud  seeding-induced  rainfall  can  help  reduce  air  pollution  particularly  in highly  polluted  urban  areas  and  any trials have  been  conducted  to  assess  its effectiveness and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) the details of Government's policy on the regulation and future deployment of cloud seeding technology in the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) The  Indian  Institute  of  Tropical  Meteorology  (IITM),  under  the  Ministry  of  Earth Sciences (MoES), had conducted a research study named Cloud Aerosol Interaction and  Precipitation  Enhancement  Experiment  (CAIPEEX)  during  2018-2019.  The CAIPEEX  study  was  carried  out  using  specially  hired  cloud  seeding  and  research aircraft  over  the  rain  shadow  region  of  the  Indian  peninsula.  The  study  has  drawn guidelines for conducting cloud seeding over the rain shadow region.

IITM  has  developed  the  knowledge  and  expertise  in  the  subject.  The  research  and technology  capabilities  are  being  developed  at  IITM  under  the  Mission  Mausam Weather\_MoD vertical. This includes the development of a 16m tall cloud chamber, the hiring of seeding aircraft, the collaborative development of cloud seeding drones, seeding  materials,  and  dispensers,  and  other  relevant  technology  with  industry  and startup  companies.  There  will  be  capacity  development  in  the  country.  Operational readiness  is  hindered  by  not  having  the  aircraft  at  disposal  and  the  associated permissions  required  to  operate  in  the  areas  relevant  for  weather  modification applications. Although most of the relevant technology is available for import, more development is needed in India to achieve operational readiness.

- (b) Cloud seeding tests during the CAIPEEX was conducted as a research experiment in 2018  and  2019  over  the  rain  shadow  region  of  Solapur,  Maharastra.  The  main objectives were:
-  to investigate aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction-the science of cloud seeding and
-  to  conduct  the  randomized  cloud  seeding  to  investigate  the  impact  on  surface rainfall  as  per  the  recommendations  of  the  World  Meteorological  Organization (WMO).

The report was released to the public and is available at the below link: https://www.tropmet.res.in/~lip/Publication/Technical-Reports/CAIPEEX-ReportJuly2023.pdf

The report  gives  a  scientific  experiment  strategy  for  enhancing  rainfall  from  warmbased clouds. It was found that rainfall can be enhanced by up to ≅ 46±13 per cent at some locations, as indicated by the Automatic Rain Gauges, and on average, and ≅ 18±2.6  per  cent  in  a  100  square  kilometres  (km 2 )  area  downwind  of  the  seeding location. Detailed scientific publication is available https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D21-0291.1

- (c) Potential applications include:
-  A  targeted  cloud  seeding  effort  for  catchment-scale  applications  to  enhance rainfall.
-  The suppression of rainfall by overseeding.
-  Other relevant targeted weather modification aspects include fog suppression, hail suppression, marine cloud brightening, etc.
-  The intervention in extreme weather events has significant uncertainty.
- (d) to (f) As  replied  to  point  (a),  the  Indian  Institute  of  Tropical  Meteorology  (IITM),  under Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  (MoES)  had  conducted  a  research  study  named  Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) and IITM had developed the knowledge and expertise in the subject and continuously working on this.

The environmental and health hazards of cloud seeding and whether cloud seedinginduced  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.  This  is  the prerequisite for Government policy on the regulation and future deployment of cloud seeding technology in the country.

*****