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View all search resultsBNPB steps up cloud seeding as wildfires persist in South Papua
Data from the Forestry Ministry's SiPongi monitoring system showed that South Papua recorded 103 high-confidence hot spots on Monday afternoon, the highest number among Indonesian provinces that day. The province remains under a wildfire emergency status until Nov. 28, even as conditions improve in other fire-prone areas.
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Flames engulf parts of a 58-kilometer stretch of the Merauke food estate corridor in South Papua on Aug. 12, extending from near Wanam village in Ilwayab district to Muting district. Despite suffering one of Indonesia’s largest burn scars, Papua remains excluded from areas prioritized for firefighting operations amid the regional haze crisis. (Pusaka Bentala Rakyat/Ambrosius Mulait)
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ndonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is stepping up weather modification efforts to combat wildfires in South Papua, as only about half of the affected area has been brought under control.
The agency will extend its weather modification operations (OMC) through Nov. 5, to support firefighting efforts by increasing chances of rainfall in fire-affected areas.
“As of Oct. 31, the operation had carried out 13 cloud-seeding sorties, using a total of 13 metric tonnes of sodium chloride,” BNPB spokesperson Berton S.P. Pandjaitan said Monday, as quoted by Detik.com.
"Weather modification is a supporting measure. Direct firefighting and field inspections to ensure that fires have been completely extinguished must still be carried out by personnel on the ground," he added.
Authorities said the weather modification operation, which was launched on Oct. 22, had been followed by light to moderate rainfall in several parts of South Papua over the past week.
Berton said the number of satellite-detected hot spots had declined to 379 from 943 following the rainfall, while the number of fire hot spots had fallen to 171 from 263. The recorded burned area also decreased to 695 hectares from 1,742 ha.
The area where fires remained active fell to 253 ha from 577 ha, he said.
