Pakistan uses artificial rain against smog for first time

Artificial rain was used for the first time in Pakistan on Saturday in a bid to combat hazardous levels of smog in the megacity of Lahore.

In the first experiment of its kind in the South Asian country, planes equipped with cloud seeding equipment flew over 10 areas of the city, often ranked one of the worst places globally for air pollution. The "gift" was provided by the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE has increasingly using cloud seeding, sometimes referred to as artificial rain or blueskying, to create rain in the arid expanse of the country. The weather modification involves releasing common salt -- or a mixture of different salts -- into clouds.

The crystals encourage condensation to form as rain. It has been deployed in dozens of countries, including the United States, China and India.