BNPB Modifies Weather To Reduce Rainfall In West Java And Central Java
JAKARTA - Weather modification operations commanded by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) are considered to significantly reduce rainfall in West Java and Central Java in recent days.
Head of the BNPB Data, Information and Disaster Center Abdul Muhari in a statement received in Jakarta, Sunday night, said that the indicator of the success of this weather modification operation could be seen from the significant reduction in rainfall in the two provinces from 11 to 14 December 2024.
Weather modification operations in the northern sea area of Central Java, he said, were five times the seeding of salt or sodium chloride (NaCl) using planes to potential clouds. Most recently carried out with a total operation time of 10 hours 39 minutes on Saturday (14/12).
As many as 1,000 kilograms of NaCl in each flight the plane was spread to potential clouds in the sky of Central Java as planned by the BNPB together with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), which is targeting clouds at an altitude of 10,000 12.000 feet above sea level.
BNPB assesses that salt seeding through weather modification operations has succeeded in reducing the intensity of rain in several areas in Central Java such as Jepara, Pati, Kudus, Demak, and Semarang City to only 5'20 mm per day or 70 percent.
According to Abdul, the percentage reduction in the intensity of the rain was known after the BMKG identified heavy to very heavy intensity reaching 50 120 mm per day to flush the Central Java region.
Positive results were also obtained from weather modification operations in a number of areas in the southern region of West Java. BNPB reports that this modified operation until Saturday (14/12) can reduce the intensity of rainfall in Sukabumi Regency, Cianjur, and its surroundings from 150 mm per day to 530 mm per day or around 60 percent.
Abdul hopes that the reduction in the intensity of rain through the weather modification operation can reduce the risk of hydrometeorological disasters such as floods and landslides in each area that is the target of the operation, especially during the 2024 Christmas and 2025 New Year holidays.