Weather modification will be carried out to prevent extreme drought that could potentially trigger forest fires in some areas, the minister said.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, has asked the chief of Air Force Staff (KSAU), Marshal Mohamad Tonny Harjono, to prepare the necessary defense equipment for carrying out weather modification.

"The Java and East Nusa Tenggara Islands will continue to experience the dry season followed by La Nina until September. La Nina is not finished yet, so the Air Force needs to immediately prepare the defense equipment for weather modification," the minister said at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base here on Friday.

He explained that the defense equipment that would need to be deployed are airplanes belonging to the Air Force that have been modified with a weather control device.

Weather modification will be carried out to prevent extreme drought that could potentially trigger forest fires in some areas, the minister said.

He added that it could also reduce excessively heavy rainfall.

However, he did not provide further details on the tools and the number of aircraft that would be deployed to modify the weather.

He expressed the hope that the effort would directly minimize natural disaster impacts due to weather dynamics.

Weather modification involves spreading salt in large quantities in the air.

The Indonesian Air Force also applied this technology in early 2023. At the time, it used the CN-295 aircraft from the Weather Modification Technology Post at Adisoemarmo Air Force Base, Solo, Central Java, to spread 13,530 kilograms of salt.

On a separate occasion, chairperson of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Bambang Soesatyo, asked the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to be ready to provide assistance to East Nusa Tenggara province.

The region has a high potential to experience five-meter high waves until April 8, 2024, as forecast by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Related news: BNPB to modify weather to ease landslide victim evacuation
Related news: BMKG warns of potential thunderstorms in most of Indonesia's regions

Translator: Walda M, Kenzu
Editor: Arie Novarina
Copyright © ANTARA 2024