Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Pratikno, has said that the government is adding more aircraft to support weather modification operations, following the recent floods that have affected some areas in Greater Jakarta.
"We continue to monitor (the floods), not only emergency response but also weather modification operations. There are additional aircraft for tonight and the following days to reduce the volume of rainfall," he informed during a meeting here on Wednesday.
Pratikno expressed the hope that the weather modification operations would help reduce excessive rainfall in a number of areas affected by flooding, including Bekasi, which has caused thousands of people to evacuate.
Weather modification in Greater Jakarta is scheduled to take place over four days, from March 4 to March 8, 2025, based on the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency's (BMKG's) forecasts of continued heavy rainfall during the period.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is conducting the weather modification, which involves dispersing salt (NaCl) into potential clouds using aircraft.
According to the BMKG, floodwaters reaching a height of 1–4 meters have flown downstream from the Ciliwung river basin (DAS) in Puncak, Bogor, to several areas in Bekasi, Jakarta, and Depok.
The flash floods have been triggered by heavy rainfall over the past few days.
Extreme rainfall is believed to have caused the Ciliwung DAS to overflow. The resulting flash floods have inundated several sub-districts in Bogor city and Bogor district, with floodwaters moving downstream to Jakarta, Depok, Bekasi, and Tangerang.
