BNPB Modified Weather To Reduce Rain To Reduce South Sumatra's Smoke

Air photo of Ampera bridge covered in smog fog in Palembang, South Sumatra, Sunday (1/10/2023).. BETWEEN PHOTOS/Nova Wahyudi/YU

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) scheduled action to assist with weather modification technology (TMC) in the first week of October to reduce the smog that was hitting South Sumatra due to the El Nino period.

"We have scheduled the use of weather modification technology or TMC in the first week of October with a main focus on Ogan Komering Ilir Regency," said Head of the BNP Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center Abdul Muhari as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, October 3.

Abdul explained that TMC engineered the weather by mixing large amounts of salt into convective clouds that could potentially be converted into rainwater.

The weather modification, continued Abdul, can accelerate and at the same time choose the location where the rain falls, which is expected to reduce hotspots as well as the spread of smog

Of the 17,141 hotspots in South Sumatra in the fifth week of September 2023, BNPB hopes that this number can decrease significantly even though TMC assistance from BNPB will be greatly influenced by the availability of potential convective clouds.

BNPB has deployed several other assistance to accelerate the handling of the smog on Bumi Sriwijaya.

Some of them were given sixteen items for the ground task force, such as pumps and personal protective equipment for field officers.

Then six water bombing helicopters, and two patrol helicopters that have been actively carrying hotspots around the South Sumatra region since April 2023.

In addition to South Sumatra, there are three other provinces that will also receive weather modification technology assistance from BNPB in the first week of October 2023, namely Jambi, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan.