BMKG Intensifies Cloud Seeding in Riau and Natuna, Rainfall Increases by up to 36 Percent

Efforts to prevent forest and land fires (karhutla) are being strengthened through Cloud Seeding Operations (OMC) in vulnerable areas, particularly Riau and Natuna.

BMKG Head Teuku Faisal Fathani revealed that, as of 7 April 2026 at 07:00 WIB, OMC implementation in Riau has reached 23 flight sorties. The intervention has successfully increased rainfall by up to 33.1 percent, with a total water volume of 169.4 million cubic metres.

“Meanwhile, in Natuna, OMC was conducted over three sorties, resulting in a 36 percent increase in rainfall and producing around 1.4 million cubic metres of rain,” Faisal stated during the 2026 Forest and Land Fire Control Coordination Meeting on Tuesday (7/4).

The operations in Riau have been ongoing since 28 March and are scheduled until 11 April 2026. In Natuna, activities took place from 1-5 April 2026.

This programme is funded by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) as part of an early mitigation strategy to address the dry season.

BMKG emphasises that the OMC approach focuses on prevention by increasing land humidity before hotspots emerge, especially in highly fire-prone peat areas.

According to Faisal, this strategy is deemed more effective than firefighting after fires have spread widely, which is often hampered by the vast affected areas, low rainfall, and smoke disruptions to field operations.