Pramono: Weather modification has made Jakarta's air fresher despite minimal cloud cover

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government carried out a weather modification operation (OMC) on Wednesday to bring rain to the capital.

“This rain is indeed the result of weather modification. At the very least, it has made things a little fresher, although it is not yet optimal because there were no clouds,” said DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Pramono said that weather engineering to create artificial rain is carried out whenever there are clouds, no matter how small they are.

“Indeed, it rained twice earlier. It stopped for about 30 minutes, then rained again. It is clear this is not the kind of rain we see during the rainy season,” he said.

Previously, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had forecast that most of DKI Jakarta would be covered by thick clouds on Wednesday afternoon.

Later, at 4 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, all areas of DKI Jakarta were expected to be hit by rain.

Light rain was predicted for West Jakarta, Central Jakarta, East Jakarta and the Thousand Islands. Meanwhile, South Jakarta was expected to receive moderate rain.

Light rain was forecast to continue into the evening at 7 p.m. Western Indonesia Time in Central Jakarta, West Jakarta, East Jakarta, South Jakarta and North Jakarta. The Thousand Islands, meanwhile, was predicted to see rain accompanied by lightning.

Temperatures in DKI Jakarta were expected to range between 25 and 32 degrees Celsius.