JAKARTA: Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has intensified cloud seeding to curb flood and landslide risks during the rainy season.
BNPB, the Indonesian Air Force, and the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) carried out multiple missions from March 4 to 8, dispersing sodium chloride (NaCl) and calcium oxide (CaO) to regulate rainfall.
Last Friday, five sorties were deployed, targeting Sukabumi’s southern waters, the Citarum River Basin, Sumedang, Saguling Reservoir, and Karawang’s northern waters. Each mission released 1,000 kg of weather-modifying compounds.
BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari confirmed that Jakarta and nearby areas saw no rainfall following the operation, prompting eight more flights on Saturday to support disaster relief in West Java.
Recent floods in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, and Banten province have displaced over 120,000 people as heavy rainfall caused rivers like the Ciliwung and Cikeas to overflow. – BERNAMA
