Cloud seeding useless, as rain begins to fall<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Climatologists said that some western parts of Java island was
\nentering the transitional period between the dry and rainy
\nseasons, therefore the city administration's plan to carry out
\ncloud seeding would not be necessary.<\/p>\n
A senior researcher with the National Aeronautics and Space
\nAgency (Lapan), Erna Sri Adiningsih, said that rain had fallen in
\nseveral areas of the city.<\/p>\n
"If the purpose of the cloud seeding is only to make Jakarta
\nwet, I think it's unnecessary to spend so much money, as rain has
\nbegun to fall," Erna told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
She was referring to the Rp 2.2 billion (US$258,824) cloud
\nseeding project the administration proposed to initiate in mid-
\nSeptember.<\/p>\n
Erna also said there was no guarantee that the cloud seeding
\nwould be successful.<\/p>\n
A similar statement was given by Paulus Agus Winarso, a senior
\nscientist at the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG).<\/p>\n
He told the Post that spending such a great amount of money on
\nthe project would be too risky for the administration, as there
\nwas no guarantee that it would be successful.<\/p>\n
Paulus also said the international climatology community had
\nyet to recommend cloud seeding or other weather modification
\nmethods to resolve the ongoing drought.<\/p>\n
He even questioned the efficiency of the project, even if it
\ndid manage to create rainfall in the city, as the water would
\nflow straight to the rivers and the sea because of the city's
\nlimited capacity to accommodate the precipitation.<\/p>\n
"The result of the project would not be worth the Rp 2.2
\nbillion slated for its budget," he said.<\/p>\n
Erna pointed out that heavy rain from the cloud seeding would
\nbe unlikely this month for various reasons, including the
\nunstable atmospheric condition and average cloud cover.<\/p>\n
She did, however, support an earlier statement by head of the
\nCity Environmental Management Agency Kosasih Wirahadikusumah that
\ninducing rainfall in the midst of the dry season would reduce the
\nvolume of rain during the peak of the rainy season, which usually
\ncauses flooding in the capital.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cloud-seeding-useless-as-rain-begins-to-fall-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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