BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center Head Abdul Muhari said the operations are part of the response to the rising risk of hydrometeorological disasters, including floods and landslides, in the three provinces.
“This cross-ministerial and inter-agency effort aims to support mitigation and emergency response by reducing potential rainfall in disaster-prone areas through cloud-seeding techniques that divert rain clouds to safer locations,” he said on Friday.
In Aceh, the operation began on Friday using the PK-SNP aircraft from the Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport command post.
In North Sumatra, operations started on Thursday from the Kualanamu Airport command post. Four sorties have been conducted, using a total of 3,200 kilograms of Sodium Chloride and Calcium Oxide as seeding materials for weather modification.
Operations in West Sumatra are scheduled to begin on Saturday (Nov. 29), deploying PK-DPI and PK-SNK aircraft from the Minangkabau International Airport command post.
Muhari said the intervention is crucial given the emergency situation, as extreme rainfall has caused widespread flooding in Aceh.
He added that heavy rainfall has also increased the risk of landslides and flash floods in many parts of North Sumatra and has severely affected infrastructure and residential areas in West Sumatra.
He stated that BNPB remains committed to supporting disaster risk mitigation efforts to protect the public, particularly in the three provinces, in line with the direction of President Prabowo Subianto.
BNPB previously activated call center services for communities affected by floods and landslides in several areas on Sumatra Island to accelerate the collection of reports and emergency needs in the field.
The service can be accessed at 0811-6164-5500, with reports submitted via text message or the WhatsApp messaging application.
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Translator: Tri Meilani Ameliya, Katriana
Editor: Primayanti
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