BNPB prepares 3 tons salt for weather modification in East Kalimantan

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2 hours ago

Samarinda (ANTARA) – The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has intensified its Weather Modification Operation (OMC) by preparing three tons of sodium chloride (NaCl), or salt, to induce artificial rainfall in East Kalimantan.

Efforts to induce artificial rainfall are being carried out to help extinguish forest and land fires and alleviate drought in the area.

Expert Advisor to the Head of BNPB, Air Commodore Albertus Irianto, said here on Thursday that the presence of clouds with rain-producing potential offered an opportunity to help reduce the impact of smoke and dry conditions in several areas.

“We hope these clouds have the potential to produce rainfall, so conditions in the affected areas can gradually improve,” Irianto said after a meeting on emergency preparedness for forest and land fires and drought at Aji Pangeran Tumenggung (APT) Pranoto Airport in Samarinda.

Irianto explained that cloud seeding was conducted over Kutai Kartanegara District from 8:20 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. local time. The operation then shifted to East Kutai District and Samarinda from 12:02 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. local time.

In the afternoon, the operation continued at 5:02 p.m., targeting Balikpapan, West Kutai, Kutai Kartanegara, and North Penajam Paser districts.

For the OMC operation on Thursday (September 17), BNPB had prepared three tons of NaCl as the cloud-seeding material.

He explained that the OMC was carried out based on weather analyses and forecasts, including the potential for cloud growth and estimates of light to moderate rainfall accumulation in several areas.

According to meteorological monitoring, the potential for rain clouds to develop in several parts of East Kalimantan is currently in the moderate-to-high category, with a probability of around 50-70 percent.

Therefore, weather modification efforts still need to be accompanied by continuous monitoring of atmospheric conditions and hotspots, he said.

Meanwhile, East Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Executive Head Buyung Dodi Gunawan said there had been a surge in forest and land fires due to extreme dry weather in several areas, particularly peatland areas that require special handling.

“Response efforts are not carried out only when fires occur, but also through monitoring, prevention, and preparedness. We continue to optimize personnel and coordination among agencies so that hotspots do not develop into major fires,” he said.

The spread of smoke from the forest and land fires has also caused a significant decline in air quality in the provincial capital.

Head of the East Kalimantan Health Laboratory Muhammad Yunus confirmed that the Air Pollutant Standard Index (ISPU) in Samarinda had reached the unhealthy category, with PM2.5 as the critical pollutant.

“Based on monitoring patterns, air quality is expected to deteriorate further from nighttime through the early morning due to temperature inversion, which traps smoke from forest and land fires near the surface. We urge residents to limit outdoor activities,” Yunus said.

In response to the threat of air pollution, the East Kalimantan Education and Culture Office issued an emergency policy switching face-to-face teaching and learning activities to distance learning (PJJ), or online schooling.

The work-from-home learning policy has been implemented in areas affected by smoke, including Samarinda, and is scheduled to run from September 17 to 19, 2026.

Acting Head of the East Kalimantan Education and Culture Office Armin emphasized that the measure was taken to prioritize students’ safety.

“We ask heads of educational institutions to coordinate directly with parents or guardians to ensure full supervision while online learning is being conducted, in order to minimize the risk of respiratory problems or acute respiratory infections (ARI) among children,” Armin said.

Through the OMC, the government hopes to increase the likelihood of rainfall, particularly in areas still experiencing dry conditions and affected by haze from forest and land fires.

The measure is also part of joint efforts to protect public safety and reduce the impact of hydrometeorological disasters in East Kalimantan.