We hope this operation will be effective in triggering rains to wet (the land) or increase water reserves, particularly in peatlands in Jambi and South Sumatra.
Jambi (ANTARA) - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) conducted a weather modification operation over Jambi and South Sumatra to prevent forest fires in the two provinces.

Following the cloud seeding flights, which dumped at least 800 kilograms of salt on clouds, on Friday (May 5, 2023) afternoon, rainfall was recorded in Jambi and South Sumatra in recent days, the operation's on-site coordinator, Fikri Nur Muhammad, said.

"Praise be to God, the weather modification operation on last Thursday to Friday proceeded smoothly without any hindrance," he said on Monday.

He informed that the cloud seeding targeted clouds potentially containing water vapor and located over the Jambi-South Sumatra border near Musi Banyuasin district in South Sumatra.

"We hope this operation will be effective in triggering rains to wet (the land) or increase water reserves, particularly in peatlands in Jambi and South Sumatra," Muhammad said.

The cloud seeding operation, conducted from the Jambi forest fire post in the province's Sultan Thaha Airport, has been scheduled for 12 days starting May 4, he said, adding that 30 tons of salt have been readied for the task.

For the operation, BRIN is cooperating with other stakeholders, including the Environment and Forestry Ministry, the military, provincial authorities, airport operator Angkasa Pura, and other agencies, he said.

"Praise be to God, joint observation conducted earlier found no fire hotspots in Jambi and South Sumatra," he added.

Meanwhile, Head of Jambi's Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Bachyuni Deliansyah said that measures have been taken to anticipate forest fires in the province as the weather this year is predicted to be drier than in 2022.

"Hence, anticipatory measures are essential to mitigate forest fires in Jambi," he added.

Related news: BNPB seeks to anticipate forest fires to prevent transboundary haze
Related news: Ministry prioritizes disaster mitigation program in 2023








Translator: Nanang Mairiadi, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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