Jakarta Weather Modification Focuses On Anticipating Extreme Rain

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) together with BMKG and other agencies held a weather modification operation and this time it was targeted to anticipate extreme rain in the area.

"Today's OMC is only carried out with one sort of southwest-northwest seeding area. This area is devoted to reduce the potential for extreme weather," said Head of the DKI Jakarta Provincial BPBD Logistics and Equipment Sub-group as well as spokesperson for the implementation of the 2025 Weather Modification Operation (OMC) activity. Michael Sitanggang in Jakarta, Antara, Sunday, February 16.

Michael also explained that the overall implementation of OMC to date has been carried out by five terms with the use of Semai as much as 4 tons of NaCl foodgrade salt.

This step, he said, is part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the potential for extreme weather and prevent hydrometeorological disasters in the DKI Jakarta area.

Meanwhile, Plt. Director of BMKG Weather Modification Management Budi Harsoyo explained that the potential for light to moderate rain occurs in the morning until noon in parts of DKI Jakarta.

According to him, the growth of rain clouds in Banten, Jakarta, and West Java in general has high potential. Predictions of humidity in each layer are quite Lembab reaching 100 percent.

Budi added that the OMC's goal in the Jakarta area this time was to reduce weather extremities, which if not anticipated could potentially cause flooding.

"We have a threshold for the intensity of rainfall that can cause flooding in the Jakarta area, if the intensity of rainfall is above 50 mm/day," he said.

Therefore, if from the prediction it is detected that there will be rain events with an intensity of more than 50 mm/day, then his party will anticipate it with the meaning of the naming of NaCl.

"On the other hand, if the rainfall is predicted to be normal, then we will let the cloud cells become rain over the Jakarta area. So people don't need to worry if during the OMC implementation period, Jakarta becomes a drought, as many people think that it is still wrong to judge at this time," he said.