Weather Modification Operation in Riau Has Seeded 35 Tonnes of Salt

Pekanbaru — The first phase of the Weather Modification Operation (OMC) in Riau Province has been completed, with approximately 35 tonnes of salt (NaCl) seeded into rain-bearing clouds over forest and peatland fire-prone areas.

Jim Ghafur, head of the Emergency and Logistics Division at the Riau Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD Riau), stated in Pekanbaru on Sunday that weather modification is one of the strategic measures to help control forest and peatland fires (karhutla).

According to him, the hot weather conditions, fairly strong winds, and the characteristics of peatland in Riau make fires spread easily and are difficult to extinguish without rainfall support.

“This weather modification is very helpful, especially for areas that are difficult to reach by ground teams,” said Jim.

He noted that the programme is a collaboration between the Riau Provincial Government, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), and the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG). The effort is expected to help the fire suppression process.

The Riau Provincial Government, together with the central government, has planned a second phase of the weather modification operation for April. However, the Riau Provincial Government hopes that the implementation of this subsequent phase can be accelerated, given that forest and peatland fire conditions in several areas are beginning to expand.

To date, several districts in Riau have experienced forest and peatland fires, namely Kampar District, Indragiri Hilir, Pelalawan, Rokan Hilir, and Bengkalis.

In Kampar District, a joint team continues to carry out fire suppression to prevent the fire from spreading, given that the location is quite close to residential areas.

Additionally, fires have also been reported in Gaung District, Indragiri Hilir Regency, then in Teluk Meranti, Pelalawan Regency, Tanah Putih in Rokan Hilir, and Pulau Rupat in Bengkalis Regency.