Mumbai Civic Body Plans Cloud Seeding To Curb Air Pollution, Invites Bids

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday invited Global Expression of Interest (GEOI) for initiating a cloud seeding program for artificial rain to combat air pollution in Mumbai.

The deputy chief engineer (civil) of the BMC's environment department invited GEOI for running a cloud seeding program.

Reputed firms which have experience of undertaking cloud seeding in the last three years can submit their bids before December 14, the BMC said in a newspaper advertisement.

Cloud seeding is a technique aimed at enhancing the probability of rain.

A civic official told PTI that the selected firm will be appointed for three years. It will undertake cloud seeding whenever air pollution spikes in the city and the situation is favourable for such an attempt.

After receiving expressions of interest, the BMC will call for financial offers from the interested firms.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had recently directed the civic body to give the artificial rain technique a shot as a way of mitigating air pollution in the country's financial capital. The air quality in the city deteriorated sharply in the last two months.

Eknath Shinde had then said that the civic body had already approached a Dubai-based company.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)