Weather Modification Operations Not Yet Viable for Jatiwaringin Landfill Fire

Efforts to extinguish the fire at the Jatiwaringin Final Processing Site (TPA) in Tangerang Regency are being maximised, with additional helicopters deployed today for water bombing. Abdul Muhari, Head of the Data, Information, Communication and Disaster Centre (Kapusdatinkom) at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), stated that the initial plan was to add two more helicopters. “The plan was indeed to deploy an additional two water bombing helicopters besides those already operating,” Muhari said when contacted on Monday (6/7/2026). One other helicopter will be directly involved in the firefighting process at the Jatiwaringin TPA, which has been burning for seven days. Currently, only three helicopters are continuously conducting aerial firefighting. “But only one unit has been able to reposition so far, so the total working right now is still three units,” he said.

Weather modification operations (OMC) were previously part of the firefighting plan for the landfill located in Mauk District, Tangerang Regency. However, current weather conditions are not yet ideal for artificial rain. “OMC depends on the growth of rain clouds. Until now, we have been coordinating with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). As we can see, the sky over Jakarta is still cloudless, still very thin, not yet ideal for OMC,” he said. Muhari noted that one aircraft has been placed on standby for OMC. Artificial rain modification will be carried out once ideal rain cloud conditions are present. “BNPB has prepared one Cessna Caravan unit for OMC. So anytime there is significant rain cloud growth, we can conduct OMC,” he said.

Today, eight to nine fire engines have been deployed by the Tangerang Regency authorities, assisted again by the Tangerang City Fire Department. In addition to helicopters, a number of heavy machinery units have also been deployed to handle the fire. The firefighting process is hindered by embers that continue to emerge from the piles of rubbish at the site. The total burned area is recorded at 15 hectares, with the fire spreading due to wind and the large volume of rubbish. Entering the seventh day, joint officers have brought the fire under control, leaving only about 3.6 percent of the area still being extinguished. The fire at the Jatiwaringin TPA has been ongoing since Tuesday afternoon (30/6). Thick smoke has caused residents to suffer from acute respiratory infections (ISPA). A number of residents were evacuated, and some have since returned to their homes.