Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) used 14.3 metric tons (14,300 kg) of cloud-seeding materials to boost rainfall and help contain forest and land fires in priority areas.
The seeding involved 15 flights, or sorties, according to data through Oct. 23, Berton Panjaitan, acting head of BNPB’s Disaster Data and Communications Center, said.
Weather-modification operations in Central Kalimantan used 7,200 kg of seeding materials: 5,200 kg of dry ice to disperse haze and 2,000 kg of sodium chloride (NaCl) for cloud seeding, across eight sorties.
However, no rainfall had been reported in the target area as of October 23, he said in a statement received in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province, on Tuesday.
In South Sumatra, seven sorties used 7,100 kg of seeding materials. Field monitoring showed that visibility had improved by late morning, he said.
BNPB’s Operations Control Directorate said weather-modification operations, adjusted to atmospheric conditions, had also produced positive results in other areas.
Light to moderate rain was reported in seven regencies in West Kalimantan, including the target areas of Sekadau, Ketapang and Sintang, as well as Kotabaru in South Kalimantan.
As of Sunday, October 25, fires were still being tackled across 3,392 hectares in Kalimantan: 2,458 hectares in Central Kalimantan, 884 in West Kalimantan and 52 in South Kalimantan.
On Sumatra, about 990 hectares remained under response, including 889 hectares in South Sumatra, 89 in Jambi and 12 in Lampung’s Way Kambas National Park.
The government had deployed 57,050 ground-firefighting task force personnel across six provinces, backed by 61 aircraft as of October 26: 24 patrol, CASA and weather-modification aircraft, and 37 water-bombing helicopters.
Firefighters were equipped with firefighting and suction hoses, nozzles, boots, portable and backpack pumps, fire beaters and communications radios, Berton said.
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Translator: M.Riezko BEP, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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