BNPB Plans Weather Modification to Combat Jatiwaringin Landfill Fire

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) plans to carry out weather modification operations (OMC) to create artificial rain to tackle the fire at the Jatiwaringin final disposal site (TPA) in Tangerang Regency, Banten. Djohan Darmawan, Director of Emergency Operations Control Coordination at BNPB, stated that he has coordinated with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) regarding the weather modification plan. “The artificial rain engineering cannot yet be executed because the growth of potential clouds above the Jatiwaringin TPA complex and its surroundings is still minimal,” he said in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/7). Djohan added that BNPB and BMKG will continue to monitor atmospheric dynamics and will immediately apply for a seeding permit once cloud conditions are deemed suitable for weather modification. Meanwhile, the BNPB Operations Control Coordination Directorate team reported significant progress on the seventh day of firefighting efforts, Tuesday (7/7). The joint task force has managed to extinguish the fire at the Jatiwaringin TPA, with progress nearing 49 to 50 percent. Djohan explained that the team has succeeded in localising the hotspots, although he noted that some hotspots remain inaccessible to ground fire hoses. To date, BNPB has deployed four water bombing helicopter units to fight the fire from the air. Ground teams are also working to create breakthrough access roads on the north and south sides to allow fire trucks to enter, while building emergency water reservoirs. Water for ground firefighting is being channelled through six to eight hose lines, and crews are injecting chemical liquids into the waste pile to control smouldering fires hidden beneath the surface.