Jakarta. The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has partnered with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Jakarta, and relevant agencies are conducting weather modification in Jakarta to prevent floods caused by heavy rainfall.

Michael Sitanggang, the Head of the Logistics and Equipment Subgroup of BPBD Jakarta, said the operation includes one seeding sortie in the southwest-northwest regions of Jakarta. So far, a total of five sorties have been carried out, using 4 tons of food-grade NaCl salt to reduce the potential for extreme rainfall.

Budi Harsoyo, the Acting Director of Weather Modification Governance at BMKG, explained that the atmospheric conditions in Jakarta, Banten, and West Java indicate a high potential for rainfall, with humidity levels reaching 100 percent. Such conditions are highly favorable for the formation of rain clouds, which could risk causing extreme rainfall and flooding.

If rainfall is expected to exceed 50 mm/day, weather modification will be used to reduce flood risks. By seeding NaCl salt, the aim is to control rain intensity while allowing natural rainfall to continue.

BMKG assured that weather modification will not cause drought in Jakarta. The operation only aims to reduce extreme rainfall that could cause flooding, so the public need not worry about rain being completely stopped.