BMKG Reveals Strategy to Cool Down Scorching Weather in Jakarta

BMKG Head Teuku Faisal Fathani revealed that the agency will situationally conduct weather modification operations to lower the scorching temperatures in Jakarta. He made the statement after a limited meeting with President Prabowo Subianto and several related officials at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday (28/7).

“So when the conditions show a sufficiently long period of days without rain, Weather Modification Operations will be carried out, provided that clouds are still present. Because without clouds, we cannot modify them, so that later we can make Jakarta cooler,” Teuku said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday (28/7).

He stated that the weather modification operations in Jakarta are conducted situationally, depending on the ongoing conditions. Teuku also mentioned that in this matter, BMKG is cooperating with the Jakarta Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD DKI Jakarta).

Furthermore, he said that BMKG and BPBD DKI Jakarta have installed ground-based generators on several tall buildings in Jakarta. “So when there are clouds that are ‘healthy’ enough to produce rain over Jakarta, water vapour or flares will be released to trigger rainfall,” he explained.

He noted that this measure is taken if no rain falls at all for a period of two to three weeks. Under such conditions, Teuku said, the air quality in Jakarta also deteriorates. “So one of the efforts is to create rain when conditions allow in Jakarta,” he concluded.