The agencies included the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Meteorology, Geophysics, and Climatology Agency (BMKG), and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
"We have started the weather modification yesterday," BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati said after attending the “2023 Central Java Province Disaster Mitigation Coordination Meeting” in Semarang on Monday.
Weather modification involves efforts to break up or reduce rain intensity to prevent potential flooding, she explained.
There is potential for moderate to heavy intensity rainfall in several districts of Central Java that are spread across mountainous areas, which could likely trigger landslides and flooding on the mainland, she noted.
"The rain intensity in Semarang has weakened but we need to beware for strong winds with a speed of 35 knots or around 60 kilometers per hour as well as high waves on the south coast of Java, which may reach 3–4 meters (in height), in the next few days," she said.
Meanwhile, Head of the BNPB Lieutenant General Suharyanto said weather modification will be carried out until the weather is brought under control.
"The weather modification has been done in West Java from December 25, 2022, to January 3, 2023. In Central Java, it started yesterday and showed promising results with only light rain," he informed.
According to Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, as of Monday, flood mitigation in the area remained quite good, especially with the handling that started from upstream with weather modification technology.
"Thank God, yesterday, I managed to report it to the heads of BNPB and BMKG. Thank you very much for the help because it cleared things up," he said.
Pranowo also appealed to residents to remain vigilant against inclement weather by paying attention to the information provided by the BMKG given the potential for dangerously strong winds and tidal floods because of the full moon.
Earlier, flooding was reported in Semarang city and several districts/cities on the north coast of Java due to bad weather, namely the occurrence of high-intensity rainfall since Friday (December 30).
Related news: Several train travels still diverted due to Semarang's flooding
Related news: Semarang's flooding caused by extreme rainfall, tidal flooding: govt
Translator: Wisnu Adhi N, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
