Weather Modification Operations Continue Across West and Central Kalimantan
Dozens of tons of NaCl have been sown in an effort to produce artificial rain.
The Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency in Indonesia is persisting with Weather Modification Operations (OMC) in West and Central Kalimantan to better manage forest and land fires. This initiative reportedly shrunk the targeted regions in the two provinces as of September 4, 2026.
West Kalimantan experienced OMC operations from August 28 to September 4, 2026, during which eight thousand kilograms of sodium chloride (NaCl) were used in ten flight sorties. Central Kalimantan saw OMC activities from August 26 to September 5, 2026, with seven thousand two hundred kilograms of NaCl deployed in nine flight sorties.
Dasrul Chaniago, Director of Land Fire Control, highlighted the role of OMC in increasing land moistening, particularly in peat ecosystems, to aid ground firefighting efforts and minimize the risk of fire spread and smoke dispersal. The Director stressed that OMC should be combined with patrols, hotspot inspections, ground extinguishing, peat moistening, water management, community participation, business entity monitoring, and law enforcement.
The OMC operations were conducted based on assessments of atmospheric conditions, potential cloud development, wind direction and speed, hotspot distribution, and the necessity for moistening in fire-prone areas. Consequently, rain was recorded in several OMC target areas on September 4. In West Kalimantan, rain was observed in Putussibau, Kubu Raya Regency, and Pontianak City. In Central Kalimantan, rain was detected in Kotawaringin Barat Regency.
Dasrul forecasted that the rainfall will enhance land humidity, aid in cooling fire locations, and deter rekindling of the fires. The OMC plan in West Kalimantan will persist from September 3 to 14, 2026, with the assistance of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). The sustainability of OMC in Central Kalimantan rests with the Ministry of Forestry.
The Nusantara Atlas satellite analytic map platform's data indicates a surge in forest and land fires in Indonesia, with hotspots and burned areas surging since last July. West Kalimantan recorded the highest number of hotspots at 104,000, followed by Central Kalimantan with 79,000. The burned area in West Kalimantan amounted to 26,000 hectares, equivalent to the combined area of South Jakarta and West Jakarta.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
