Is spending crores for a drizzle, that too for an initiative with a historically low success rate, worth it? That's the question being asked by environmentalists after three cloud seeding attempts in Delhi failed to induce artificial rain in a bid to tackle the city's worsening air pollution.

The Delhi government, in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, has conducted three trials to date, one on October 23 and two on October 28, with none producing any significant rain in the capital.

CLOUD SEEDING: AN EXPENSIVE AFFAIR

According to IIT Kanpur director Manindra Agarwal, the overall cost of the two trials on October 28 -- conducted over 300 sq km -- was about Rs 60 lakh. It translates to roughly Rs 20,000 per sq km.

For five such trials during the winter, when Delhi's air turns toxic a

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