Weather Modification Operations Continue Across West and Central\nKalimantan<\/p>\n
Reporter<\/p>\n
September 5, 2026 | 04:47 pm<\/p>\n
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Environment\/Environmental Control\nAgency is continuing the Weather Modification Operation (OMC) to improve\nthe management of forest and land fires in Central and West Kalimantan.\nThe operation reportedly reduced the size of the two targeted regions in\nthe two provinces on Friday, September 4, 2026.<\/p>\n
In West Kalimantan, the OMC has been carried out from August 28 to\nSeptember 4, 2026. During this period, 10 flight sorties have been\nconducted, using a total of 8,000 kilograms of sodium chloride (NaCl) as\nthe seeding material. In Central Kalimantan, the operation was conducted\nfrom August 26 to September 5, 2026. By September 4, 9 flight sorties\nhad been conducted using 7,200 kilograms of NaCl as the seeding\nmaterial.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis operation is a coordinated step by the government to increase\nland moistening, especially in peat ecosystems, to support ground\nextinguishing, and to suppress the risk of fire spread and smoke\ndispersion,\u201d said the Director of Land Fire Control of The Ministry of\nEnvironment\/Environmental Control Agency, Dasrul Chaniago, through a\nwritten statement in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, on Saturday,\nSeptember 5, 2026.<\/p>\n
Dasrul emphasized the crucial role of weather modification\nintervention in the field, as it helps moisten peatlands and supports\nthe work of firefighting teams. However, Dasrul continued, these\nartificial rain efforts are not standalone measures.<\/p>\n
\u201cIts implementation must be carried out in conjunction with patrols,\nhotspot inspections, ground extinguishing, peat moistening, water\nmanagement, community involvement, business entity supervision, and law\nenforcement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dasrul explained that in each implementation, the OMC is conducted\nbased on atmospheric condition analysis, potential cloud growth, wind\ndirection and speed, hotspot distribution, and the need for moistening\nin fire-prone areas. As a result, on Friday, September 4, rain was\nobserved in several OMC target areas.<\/p>\n
In West Kalimantan, rain occurred in Putussibau, Kubu Raya Regency,\nand Pontianak City. While in Central Kalimantan, rain was observed in\nKotawaringin Barat Regency. \u201cThe rainfall is expected to increase land\nhumidity, support the cooling process of fire locations, and dampen the\npotential for the fire to reignite,\u201d said Dasrul.<\/p>\n
As a follow-up, the OMC implementation in West Kalimantan will\ncontinue with the support of the National Disaster Management Agency\n(BNPB) from September 3 to 14, 2026. Meanwhile, the sustainability of\nthe OMC in Central Kalimantan is supported by the Ministry of\nForestry.<\/p>\n
Dasrul emphasized that the operation will continue, and vigilance\nmust not be allowed to decrease. \u201cOur main goal is to prevent the spread\nof fires, protect public health, maintain air quality, and ensure that\nforest and land fire handling takes place quickly, comprehensively, and\nsustainably.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Nusantara Atlas satellite analytic map platform\u2019s\nmonitoring data on forest and land fires in Indonesia, the number of\nhotspots and the burning area have increased until today, Saturday,\nSeptember 5, 2026. The graph shows a sharp spike, rising almost\nvertically since last July.<\/p>\n
West Kalimantan has the most hotspots, at 104,000, followed by\nCentral Kalimantan with 79,000. As for the burned area, West Kalimantan\nhas observed 26,000 hectares, equivalent to the combined area of South\nJakarta and West Jakarta. Meanwhile, Central Kalimantan covers an area\nof 1,500 hectares.<\/p>\n
Read: BNPB: Forest Fires Hit 5 Mountain Areas in East Java<\/p>\n
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google\nNews<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/weather-modification-operations-continue-across-west-and-central-kalimantan-1788605449", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }