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Man-made rain tames fires, reduces smog in South Sumatra
Residents of Palembang have stopped wearing respirator masks while outdoors.
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Officials from the Safe and Rescue office in Jambi try to put out fire in the region.Thick smog from a series of peatland fires across Jambi has started to affect everyday life in the province. (JP/Jon Afrizal)
S
outh Sumatra, which began to see the success of artificial rain on Tuesday, has experienced declining forest fires and smog and improving air quality.
Rain was observed in the province’s capital city of Palembang and the regencies of Ogan Komering Ilir, Ogan Ilir and Banyuasin between Sept. 22 and 25, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Residents of Palembang have stopped wearing respirator masks while outdoors. Authorities had previously told residents to remain at home due to persisting smog and unhealthy air quality blanketing the city.
The head of observation and information at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin (SMB) II meteorological station in Palembang, Bambang Beny Setiaji, said potential rain clouds had begun to emerge in the region.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had estimated that rain would fall in the region between Sept. 23 and 24.
The Weather Modification Technology (TMC) Agency at the Assessment and Application of Technology Agency (BPPT), which oversees the making of artificial rain, had made use of the potential rain clouds to create man-made rain.
“We received a report on Sept. 24 that the rain in Palembang was quite heavy, with the volume of water amounting to around 30 million cubic meters,” BPPT natural resources technology development deputy Yudi Anantasena told a forum on forest and land fires in Jakarta on Thursday.
