thejakartapost.com 11 Aug 15;
The government is planning to induce rainfall over Kalimantan as the NOAA-18 satellite has found 1,692 hot spots in the area in the last eight months, an agency stated on Tuesday.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BNPB) emergency director J. Tambunan said that some 36 percent or 616 of the hotspots were in West Kalimantan.
“We predict the atmosphere for Kalimantan, especially for West Kalimantan, will be dry,” Tambunan said as quoted by Kompas.com.
The rainfall has been declining since July 2015. The phenomenon increased the number of hot spots up to 230 areas in West Kalimantan.
This dry condition has been predicted to continue for the next few months. To minimize the hot spots, the government will try various things, such as modifying the weather through artificial rain.
The weather modification technology (TMC) is a benefit of the synergy between the BNPB and the Assessment and Application of Technology Agency (BPPT) Artificial Rain Technical Unit of the Environment Affairs and Forestry Ministry.
“Based on our experience last year, forest fires occurred during the August to October term in West Kalimantan. We will do the TMC operation to minimize the hot spots, which tend to increase,” Tambunan added.
The TMC operation in West Kalimantan would be applied for two months with the main post in Supadio Airport. BPPT will post some staff at two meteorology control posts in Sekadau and Teraju. (edn)(++++)
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