Bromo Firefighting Expanded to Two New Hotspots, Weather Modification Stalled

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has expanded firefighting operations to two new hotspots within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) as efforts to contain the blaze continue. BNPB Head Suharyanto stated that while the extinguishing process is ongoing, the park remains closed to the public for safety reasons. He noted that the area will stay off-limits until it is completely safe, with an evaluation planned after a week of monitoring to determine if the park can be reopened.

Suharyanto explained that the current El Niño phenomenon has increased the risk of forest and land fires, particularly in savanna areas dominated by dry vegetation such as grass and shrubs. He expressed hope that the situation would not escalate to the levels seen in 2023, when the peaks of Mount Bromo, Mount Arjuno, and Mount Lawu all experienced fires simultaneously.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Forestry revealed that plans to conduct weather modification operations to assist firefighting efforts have been put on hold. Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, Satyawan Pudyatmoko, said that according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the necessary convective clouds required for cloud seeding are not expected to form over the Bromo area for at least the next ten days.