Pramono Values Jakarta Doesn't Need Weather Modification

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung assessed that currently Jakarta does not have an urgency to carry out weather modification operations (OMC) despite being hit by floods in early July.

"So the modification of the weather is not really necessary. Because the rainfall in Jakarta itself is not too high," said Pramono in Rawajati, South Jakarta, Tuesday, July 8.

Heavy rains have been pouring down Jakarta since a few days ago. However, Pramono assessed that rainfall was not the only factor in Jakarta being flooded by hundreds of RTs on Sunday, July 6.

Floods since yesterday have also been caused by two other factors that occurred simultaneously, namely the delivery of water from upstream and rising sea level which caused tidal flooding or coastal flooding.

"The current problem is the tide of the same sea water (sent water) from upstream," said Pramono.

However, it is possible that the DKI Provincial Government will spend a budget for the implementation of weather modifications. This is because the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicts that extreme weather will continue until July 13.

"But once again, under any conditions, the Jakarta government is ready to prepare for it," he said.

Previously, the government decided to carry out a weather modification operation (OMC) in the Jabodetabek area in the next few days. This is related to heavy rains that are still pouring the area.

BMKG Weather Modification Operations Director Budi Harsoyo revealed that cloud seeding using chemical by aircraft will start today until July 11.

"The weather modification operation plan will last until July 11. The command post at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, while it is also possible that later we will review whether the Jakarta area, especially Jabodetabek, also needs to thicken the aircraft," Budi said in a virtual press conference, Monday, July 7th.

The Head of the DKI Jakarta Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Isnawa Adji said that his party had reported the weather modification plan to the Governor-Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Pramono Anung-Rano Karno.

According to him, Jakarta is an area that needs to be the target of reducing the intensity of high rainfall. Given, currently there is the potential for rain cloud growth in South Jakarta and East Jakarta.

"OMC will be carried out with a focus above Bogor, Bekasi, Tangerang and Jakarta as an effort to reduce the increase in water discharge upstream. We will prepare BPBD with the existing budget," said Isnawa.