Weather Modification to Prevent Fires in South Sumatra
- 06 Agt 2026 05:55 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- BNPB has resumed Weather Modification Operations (OMC) in South Sumatra from August 4 to 10, 2026, to reduce hotspot numbers and prevent forest and land fires.
- The operation was launched after NOAA-20 satellite data recorded hotspots increasing from 46 on August 2 to 104 on August 3, 2026.
RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) of Indonesia has resumed Weather Modification Operations (OMC) in South Sumatra. The operation will run for seven days, from August 4 to 10, 2026, to reduce the increase in hotspot counts and the risk of forest and land fires.
BNPB Chief, Suharyanto, said the OMC was launched after a significant rise in hotspot numbers in South Sumatra. Based on satellite monitoring by NOAA-20, the number of hotspots increased from 46 points on August 2 to 104 points on August 3, 2026.
“OMC is one of the efforts to support forest and land fire mitigation in six priority provinces. These areas have extensive peatlands and are difficult to extinguish if a major fire occurs,” said Suharyanto on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
He said the implementation of the OMC followed an instruction from President Prabowo Subianto during a limited meeting at the Merdeka Palace on July 28, 2026. The meeting discussed anticipatory measures to address the impacts of the dry season and the El Niño phenomenon.
The operation also responds to a request for support from the South Sumatra Provincial Administration. The governor has declared an emergency alert status for smoke disasters caused by forest and land fires until November 30, 2026.
BNPB’s Operations Control Directorate said the OMC activities are centered at Sri Mulyono Herlambang Air Base in Palembang. The operation is supported by the Indonesian Air Force; the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG); and the South Sumatra Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
On the first day of implementation, Tuesday, August 4, 2026, a seeding aircraft carried out one sortie. A total of 1,000 kilograms of seeding material was dispersed over Ogan Komering Ilir and Ogan Ilir Regencies. The sodium chloride, or salt, seeding conducted by the fixed-wing aircraft successfully triggered light rain in the target area.
Suharyanto urged local administration, communities, and businesses in the forestry and agriculture sectors to strengthen preventive measures. He also asked all parties not to burn land during the dry season.
“Synergy and early prevention must be strengthened so that forest and land fires do not spread further,” he said. (Annaila Azzahra-EN)
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