Delhi’s much-awaited cloud seeding experiment to trigger artificial rain on Tuesday did not go as planned, with scientists confirming that the clouds over the capital had too little moisture to produce rainfall.

The project, carried out by IIT Kanpur in collaboration with the Delhi government, was aimed at providing short-term relief from the city’s choking pollution. But as the aircraft soared through Delhi’s hazy skies, it became clear that the atmosphere was not ready to cooperate.

According to officials involved in the operation, 14 flares were fired into the clouds using a special mixture containing 20% silver iodide along with rock and common salts. Despite the efforts, no rainfall was recorded across most parts of the city. Only light drizzles were reported from Noida and Greater Noida, registering minimal precipitation — 0.1 mm and 0.2 mm respectively.

Preliminary readings taken after the seeding showed a slight dip in pollution levels. The PM2.5 concentration dropped from around 220 to just above 200 in several key areas such as Mayur Vihar, Karol Bagh, and Burari, while PM10 levels saw a marginal reduction as well. Although the improvement was not dramatic, officials said it indicated that the process had some limited effect on air quality.

Despite Tuesday’s setback, the team behind the mission plans to continue trials through Wednesday if favourable cloud conditions return. The flights, which currently take off from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, are part of a larger emergency effort to experiment with weather modification in extreme smog conditions.

While the skies over Delhi stayed dry, the city’s residents held on to cautious hope — waiting to see whether science can coax a few drops of rain to clear the air, even if only temporarily.