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Delhi May Get Its First Artificial Rain Today: What, When, and How Explained Simply
The national capital could experience its first man-made rain today, depending on the weather. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the long-awaited cloud seeding test might happen today if the conditions in Kanpur improve. The aircraft needed for the task is currently based there.
When Will It Happen?
Sirsa explained that the aircraft will take off only after visibility in Kanpur gets better. “Right now, visibility is around 2,000 metres. We need it to reach 5,000 metres for the plane to fly safely,” he said. If that happens by around 12:30 or 1 pm, the aircraft will leave Kanpur, carry out cloud seeding over Delhi, and return.
What Is Cloud Seeding?
Cloud seeding is a process used to make it rain. In this method, substances such as silver iodide, dry ice, or salt are sprayed into clouds to help water droplets form. When these droplets become heavy, they fall as rain.
For Delhi’s experiment, experts from IIT Kanpur made a mix of silver iodide nanoparticles and iodised salt. This is sprayed from an aircraft into clouds that already have some moisture. The goal is to create rainfall.
Why Is Delhi Doing This?
The main reason is to clean the air. Every winter, the air quality in Delhi becomes very poor and harmful. This morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was 306, which is marked as ‘very poor’. In some places like Siri Fort and Burari, it went above 350.
Studies say that pollution in Delhi is so serious that it can cut life expectancy by almost 12 years compared to what the World Health Organisation suggests. The hope is that even a short spell of rain might help wash away dust and pollutants from the air.
What’s the Plan Ahead?
The Delhi government signed an agreement with IIT Kanpur on September 25 to run five cloud seeding tests in northwest Delhi. The plan got delayed many times due to bad weather and timing issues with the monsoon.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has already given permission for these trials between October 1 and November 30.
If everything goes right and the clouds support the process, Delhi could see its first artificial rain by this afternoon — a small but hopeful step toward cleaner air.
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Delhi Police Crack Rs.22.67 Lakh Cyber Fraud Case, Gang Operated from NSP.
Delhi Police have caught 11 people linked to an online fraud case after a 60-year-old man filed a complaint. The group is accused of cheating him of about ?22.67 lakh by promising high returns through a fake investment plan.
Police said the gang used social media ads to attract people. They showed big profit claims and convinced victims to send money. During the probe, officers tracked phone data and bank details, which helped them find key leads.
The group was running its work from Rohini and Netaji Subhash Place (NSP) in Delhi. They also had links in Mumbai. In NSP, a bogus office was established, serving as a front to open bank accounts. These accounts facilitated illicit money transfers, which were subsequently shared with other cybercriminals.Those caught in Delhi are Tajinder Singh alias Lucky, Ashish Saini, Shiv Dayal Singh, Shiva, and Giriraj Kishore. During questioning, police found that the group also had links in Rajasthan. Teams then raided Bizai Nagar and arrested four more people — Ramdev Sangla, Praveen Kumawat, Deepak Mewada, and Trilok Chand Nayak.
Police also found that the gang arranged fake bank accounts in India and linked them to people based in Cambodia through a man known as ‘PK’ in Mumbai. Further investigation is still going on.
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Bulldozer action at house of Uttam Nagar murder case accused, parts of 3-storey building torn down.

Image Source: Twitter.
Four days after 26-year-old Tarun Kumar was beaten to death after a Holi dispute over a water balloon, civic officials carried out bulldozer action at the house of one of the accused in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar.
On Sunday morning, a crane reached JJ Colony and work began to break parts of a three-storey house linked to the accused. After that, workers with hammers broke more sections of the building.
A large number of police staff were present in the area during the action. Personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were also posted across the locality to keep the situation calm.
A senior police officer said the police are working with the civic agency during the removal of the illegal parts of the building. A statement from the civic body has not come yet.
Delhi Police have arrested six people and taken a minor into custody in the case. They also added charges under the SC/ST Act after claims that caste slurs were used during the attack.
The accused have been named as Umardeen, 49; Jummadeen, 36; Kamruddin, 36; Mustaque, 46; Muzzaffar, 25; and Tahir, 18. All live in A Block of JJ Colony.
Police said the incident took place on March 4. Tarun’s 11-year-old cousin was playing with a water balloon from the third floor of their home. The balloon slipped from her hand and fell to the street. Water from it fell on a woman living nearby. This led to an argument between the two families, who belong to different communities.
Police said the fight soon turned violent. Tarun was attacked outside his home with sticks, rods, bats and stone slabs. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Since the incident, tension has remained in the locality. After the attack, family members of the accused left their homes and locked the houses.
On Friday night, some vehicles parked outside the house of the accused were set on fire. Police are also looking into this case.
News
Delhi Hits Highest Temperature In First Week Of March In 50 Years.

Representational Image | Source: PTI
Delhi saw very warm weather at the start of March. On Saturday, the maximum temperature reached 35.7 degrees Celsius. An official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said this is the highest temperature recorded in the first week of March in the last 50 years.
Weather data from the past five decades shows that the earlier highest reading for the first seven days of March was 34.8 degrees Celsius. This was recorded on March 5, 1999 at Safdarjung, the main weather station in the city.
With the temperature touching 35.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the city has now recorded the warmest day for the first week of March during this 50-year period, the IMD official said.
IMD data from 2011 shows that the next highest temperature during the first week of March was recorded in 2016. On March 4 that year, the maximum temperature reached 33.6 degrees Celsius.
Safdarjung station recorded a maximum temperature of 35.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday. This was 7.3 degrees above the normal level. The minimum temperature there was 17.4 degrees Celsius, which was 3.4 degrees higher than normal.
So far this month, the average maximum temperature in the city has been around 33 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature has been about 16.3 degrees Celsius. IMD data shows this is the highest level seen since 2022.
In 2022, the average maximum temperature for March was 33.4 degrees Celsius, while the average minimum temperature was 17.6 degrees Celsius.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Delhi during March remains 40.6 degrees Celsius. This reading was recorded on March 31, 1945.
At Palam station, the maximum temperature reached 33.4 degrees Celsius, which was 4.6 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature there was 18.3 degrees Celsius, about 4 degrees above normal.
The Lodhi Road station recorded a maximum temperature of 35.8 degrees Celsius, 7.8 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature there was 17.6 degrees Celsius, 4.6 degrees above normal.
At the Ridge station, the maximum temperature reached 36.4 degrees Celsius, which was 7 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature there was 19.1 degrees Celsius, about 3.9 degrees above normal.
Ayanagar recorded a maximum temperature of 36.1 degrees Celsius, which was 7.3 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature there was 17.3 degrees Celsius, about 4.1 degrees above normal.
The IMD also said that no rainfall was recorded at these stations during the 24-hour period on Saturday.
