Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Forestry informed that the Weather Modification Operation to extinguish forest and land fires on Mount Bromo in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS), East Java, has not yet been implemented.
The ministry’s Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE), Satyawan Pudyatmoko, on Monday said that the issue arose because convective clouds needed for weather modification operations had not yet formed over the Bromo area.
Weather modification is an intervention to increase rain potential by sowing salt or Sodium Chloride (NaCl) into clouds using special aircraft based on scientific data involving a team of experts from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), and the Indonesian Air Force.
“Actually, we have thought about modifying the weather, but according to the BMKG, it will not be possible for at least the next 10 days since the convective clouds have not yet formed to modify the weather,” Pudyatmoko explained.
The fire at TNBTS has persisted since August 4, with some hotspots still remaining active.
The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Center noted that the area affected by fires in the Mount Bromo area has now reached 520 hectares and is still in the process of data collection.
Latest field monitoring showed difficulties in accessing land routes to reach hotspots, prompting authorities to combine ground operations with aerial water bombing.
“Our approach is a combination of ground troops and water bombing. Yesterday, there were 30 water bombings. However, the difficult terrain, strong winds and very low air humidity complicate the extinguishing efforts,” Pudyatmoko noted.
As of August 8, the national park announced a total closure of all tourist access to the Mount Bromo area.
The closure applies to all entry points to the TNBTS area, including Cemorolawang in Probolinggo District, Wonokitri in Pasuruan District, Jemplang and Coban Trisula in Malang District, and Senduro in Lumajang District, East Java.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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