Weather Modification Technology to Prevent Forest Fire in Riau Region
Riau, MINA – TMC (Weather Modification Technology) Team returns to operate in the surrounding Riau region. The third TMC operation this year began on July 24 and is currently capable of producing 2.2 million cubic meters of water.
The Head of the Center for Weather Modification Technology (BBMTC-BPPT) Tri Handoko Seto explained, this TMC operation is the third time to prevent forest and land fires in Riau, which has been carried out gradually since the beginning of the year.
“Forest and forest fire prevention strategies like this are very effective so that there is no need to wait for widespread fires and it is very difficult and even impossible to extinguish,” Tri said in Jakarta on Monday on the sidelines of Lemhannas education.
Accordi g to him, based on historical fluctuations, the number of hotspots in Riau tends to increase in March and the peak period in August to September.
“So, in July the operation will be right again,” Tri said.
While Acting Chief BBTMC Sutrisno, said, his team had obtained groundwater level data on peatlands.
“Based on the monitoring documentation of the Peat Restoration Agency, more than 70 percent indicate hazard or hazard values. This condition has occurred since the beginning of July. For that reason, it is necessary to re-wetting efforts, one of them is with weather modification technology, so that the ground water level in peatlands can rise again, “he explained.
Sutrisno who is also the Coordinator of BBTMC Technology Services said that TMC Riau operations are reactivated by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s direction to the National Disaster Management Agency as the funding holder for this activity.
The first flight of the forest fire prevention operation in Riau began on Friday, July 24, reinforced by the CASA 212 aircraft no registration A-2107 owned by the Indonesian Air Force.
The TMC Command Post is centered on the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base, Pekanbaru Riau with a team consisting of BBTMC flight scientists and the Air Force team.
“Every day there is rain and until yesterday the total rain volume reached 2.2 million cubic meters,” said Halda Aditya Belgaman, TMC-BBTMC Field Coordinator at the Riau Post.
As it is known, BBTMC-BPPT began to plunge a team to carry out a forestry emergency alert in Riau through TMC operations since mid-March. The second TMC operation was carried out in mid-May 2020.
In addition to Riau Province, BBTMC is also in the midst of preparing forest fire emergency alert operations in South Sumatra, Jambi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
