{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1910838,
        "msgid": "forest-fires-spread-bmkg-reveals-why-cloud-seeding-cannot-yet-be-conducted-1786363049",
        "date": "2026-08-10 18:29:23",
        "title": "Forest Fires Spread, BMKG Reveals Why Cloud Seeding Cannot Yet Be Conducted",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Environment",
        "summary": "Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has stated that Weather Modification Operations to combat spreading forest and land fires cannot be implemented due to a lack of convective clouds. The necessary conditions for cloud seeding are not expected to be met for at least the next ten days. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency reports that fires have affected numerous regions, including a significant blaze that has scorched 520 hectares in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.",
        "content": "<p>The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has\nrevealed that Weather Modification Operations (OMC) to help extinguish\nforest and land fires (karhutla) that are increasingly spreading in a\nnumber of regions cannot yet be implemented because convective clouds,\nthe primary requirement for salt seeding, have not formed. OMC is an\nintervention to increase the potential for rain by seeding salt or\nSodium Chloride (NaCl) into cloud clusters using special aircraft based\non scientific data, involving a team of experts from the BMKG, the\nNational Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and the Indonesian Air\nForce. BMKG Deputy for Weather Modification Tri Handoko Seto, when\nconfirmed in Jakarta on Monday, stressed that due to these conditions,\nthe implementation of OMC is estimated to be unlikely for at least the\nnext 10 days, depending on cloud growth in each region. \u2018Conditions in\neach region vary, but we continue to monitor until there is potential\n(clouds) for OMC,\u2019 he said. The statement was made in response to the\nescalation of forest and land fire incidents reported by the National\nDisaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) during the period of 7 to 10 August\n2026, which hit various points on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bangka\nBelitung, Sulawesi, North Maluku, and Southwest Papua. BNPB Head of\nDisaster Data, Information and Communication Centre Abdul Muhari\nreported that in East Java, forest and land fires had a significant\nimpact on the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) area, with a\ntotal burned area reaching 520 hectares as of Sunday night (9\/8),\nforcing the national park authority to completely close all tourist\nentrances from Saturday (8\/8) until an unspecified time. Still in East\nJava, forest and land fires scorched 6.5 hectares of Perhutani land on\nMount Watangan, Jember Regency, while in West Java fires consumed two\nhectares of land in Subang. In Central Java, forest and land fires also\nburned two hectares of land in Jepara and three hectares in Banyumas due\nto waste burning. Meanwhile, on the island of Sulawesi, forest and land\nfires spread to burn 72.4 hectares of land on Bakalan Island, Banggai\nIslands, and three hectares on Mount Batu Pongki, Tojo Una-Una, Central\nSulawesi. In South Sulawesi, a joint team is still extinguishing flames\nthat have consumed 15 hectares of land in Tana Toraja. Outside Java and\nSulawesi, forest and land fires also scorched 23 hectares of land in\nthree sub-districts in East Halmahera (North Maluku), two hectares in\nSorong (Southwest Papua), 2.29 hectares in East Belitung (Bangka\nBelitung), and one hectare of land in Aceh Besar (Aceh). Despite this,\nAbdul confirmed that joint officer teams in all affected areas are being\nmaximised to handle and mitigate the spread of fire, by also deploying\nground watering equipment, water tanker trucks, creating firebreaks, and\naerial water bombing using helicopters.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/forest-fires-spread-bmkg-reveals-why-cloud-seeding-cannot-yet-be-conducted-1786363049",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}