New Delhi, July 2 -- In a bid to tackle the city's worsening air pollution, Delhi's Environment Minister Majinder Singh Sirsa announced a trial run of artificial rain through cloud seeding, set to commence between late August and early September, with five tests planned to assess its efficacy against smog, particularly during Diwali and September.

"We have been successful in securing permission for artificial rain through cloud seeding... We will run the trial between the end of August and the first week of September. We will conduct five trials to learn if it could be efficient against the smog that collects during Diwali or in September," he said.

On May 7, the Delhi cabinet on Wednesday passed a historic decision to conduct cloud see...