Air pollution has been a cause for concern in the national capital this month as the smoke from post-harvest paddy straw burning in neighbouring states like Punjab and Haryana has worsened the air quality. (Image: News18), IIT Kanpur plannd to create “artificial rain” to bring down pollutants and dust in Delhi to bring a temporary respite in the capital. (Image: News18), IIT has been working for years researching on pollution and ways to tackle it. The institute since 2018 started working on a project to indue artificial rains. (Image: News18), During trials, the IIT team got the DGCA approval to equip two Cessna aircraft with flare panels. Five trials were conducted, with four of them successfull. (Image: News18), Using the technology, the researchers believe they could wash away pollutants and dust with rains that would be artificially created. (Image: News18), The solution could offer a quick solution to the problem during days of severe pollution and provide temporary relief to the capital and its neighbouring areas. (Image: News18), An IIT Kanpur professor said that while artificial rain could offer better air quality for a temporary period, it’s not a long-term solution. (Image: News18), The method can lead to acidification of the oceans, ozone layer depletion and an increase in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. (Image: News18)