Pramono Agrees to Weekly Weather Modification to Combat El Niño

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has given his approval for weather modification operations to be conducted once or twice a week, provided there are clouds, as part of efforts to tackle the El Niño phenomenon which could trigger a prolonged dry season. “The peak of El Niño will be long, possibly one of the longest compared to 2023. I have given my approval so that if there are clouds, we can carry out artificial rain or weather modification once or twice a week,” he said at City Hall on Wednesday. Pramono referred to data from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the National Disaster Management Agency, and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) which predict rain will fall at the end of September or mid-September, and in the first or second week of October. “The problem is that the likelihood of clouds forming is small. But I have given the order and we are prepared,” he said. Pramono stated that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is focusing on two main areas in facing the El Niño phenomenon, one of which is anticipating fires. “I have asked every community unit to prepare fire extinguishers from now on because the weather is dry,” he said. In addition to fires, the provincial government is also working to anticipate cases of Acute Respiratory Infections (ISPA) and to ensure the availability of clean water. Meanwhile, BMKG has stated that El Niño has reached a strong category and still has the potential to increase to a very strong level, triggering a drier and longer dry season in several parts of Indonesia. Regions south of the equator, such as East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Bali, Java, and southern Sumatra, are expected to experience a drier and longer dry season compared to the climatological average.