BMKG Reveals Weather Modification Strategy to Combat Jakarta's Heat

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has announced a plan to implement a weather modification operation (OMC) to combat the severe heat in the capital city, Jakarta. BMKG Head Teuku Faisal Fathani revealed this after a limited meeting with President Prabowo Subianto and relevant officials at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday (28/7). Fathani explained that the operation will be conducted situationally in Jakarta, depending on the ongoing conditions. He stated, "So when the condition has been a long dry spell, then the Weather Modification Operation will be carried out, with the note that clouds are still present. Because if there are no clouds, we cannot modify, so that it can make Jakarta cooler." He further elaborated that the OMC is implemented in Jakarta situationally, observing the current circumstances. The BMKG is collaborating with the Jakarta Provincial Disaster Management Agency (BPBD DKI Jakarta) for this initiative. In addition to this, Fathani mentioned that BMKG and BPBD DKI Jakarta have also installed ground-based generators at several high-rise buildings in Jakarta. "So when there are clouds that are considered 'healthy' to rain on Jakarta, then water vapor or flares will be released to then cause rain," he said. He clarified that this step is taken if rain has not fallen at all for two to three weeks. Under such conditions, Fathani noted that Jakarta's air quality also deteriorates. "So one of the efforts is to bring rain when the conditions allow in Jakarta," he concluded. Source: CNN Indonesia