Fourth Day of Weather Modification Operations: BNPB Disburses 16 Tons of Seeding Material

Jakarta, MINA – The Weather Modification Operation (WMO) conducted by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) entered its fourth day on Thursday. Within this period, the BNPB has disbursed a total of 16 tons of cloud-seeding material through 18 flight sorties.

Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB’s Data, Information, and Disaster Communication Center, stated in a written release on Thursday, that the seeding materials included 12.4 tons of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) and 3.6 tons of Calcium Oxide (CaO).

Muhari added that two Caravan aircraft, with registrations PK-DPI and PK-SNL, stationed at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta, have been taking turns regularly disbursing the seeding materials over the North and South Coasts of West Java for 24 hours.

He emphasized that the priority areas for seeding were the waters north of Karawang, Bekasi, Indramayu, and their surroundings, including regions upstream of rivers that flow into flood-prone areas of Jabodetabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi).

Also Read: Taiwan Promotes Muslim-Friendly Tourism, Highlights Services at Jakarta’s International Islamic Expo

“NaCl is used to intercept rain clouds before they reach land, so rain can be precipitated over the sea,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Calcium Chloride functions to increase rainfall, allowing for the redistribution of precipitation according to target areas. This WMO is a government effort to handle the extreme weather conditions during the wet dry season affecting West Java and Jakarta.

For the past two days, Jakarta has experienced scorching weather with no rain. The joint WMO task force for Jabodetabek has noted a significant decrease in rain intensity, between 30-60 percent, in Jakarta, West Java, and Banten.

The BNPB, along with this inter-agency WMO task force, remains optimistic that this mitigation effort will benefit the community. The BNPB urges local governments and the public to enhance their preparedness in facing the risk of hydrometeorological disasters during this wet dry season.

Also Read: Transjakarta Uses AI to Boost Ridership

Consequently, the BNPB and BMKG (Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency) will conduct a joint evaluation at the end of the weather modification operation to determine the need for extending the WMO period. [Shibgho]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

Also Read: Religious Affairs Minister: No Plans Yet for Sea Route Umrah and Hajj