By Sakshi Dayal

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Authorities in the Indian capital territory of Delhi began seeding clouds on Tuesday to induce artificial rain and bring down pollution levels in the city that has been battling poor air for days, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said.

The method seeks to increase precipitation by adding small chemical particles to clouds around which water droplets form, eventually developing into raindrops.

Although several countries have previously used cloud seeding to produce rain to improve air quality or water crops during drought, this is the first time it is being tried in the Indian capital. The effectiveness of cloud seeding is a subject of scientific debate, with studies showing mixed results.

Sirsa said the Indian Institute of Technology belie

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