JAKARTA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia will conduct the second phase of a weather modification operation next week to mitigate severe flooding in Jakarta and its surrounding areas, the National Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced on Wednesday.
The decision follows a warning from the Meteorological, Climatology, and Geological Agency predicting extreme weather from March 11 to March 20, which could trigger heavy rains and flooding in Jakarta and nearby cities.
BNPB spokesman Abdul Muhari told Xinhua that the operation, scheduled from March 11 to March 18, aims to prevent heavy rainfall in the upstream areas of the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers, whose downstream regions include Jakarta and its satellite cities.
Muhari explained that flooding in the area is often caused by the overflow of the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers, which originate in Puncak Cisarua, Bogor Regency, West Java. The weather modification process involves dispersing salt into clouds to prevent them from forming larger rain clouds over the upstream areas.
"By introducing salt into the clouds before they reach Puncak Cisarua, we can induce rainfall over the sea, reducing the risk of heavy rains in the river upstream areas," he said.
"We are currently carrying out the first phase of weather modification, which began on Tuesday and will end on Saturday. It has successfully reduced rainfall intensity in upstream areas, significantly easing flooding in Jakarta and its surrounding areas," he added.
Severe flooding hit most areas in Jakarta and its satellite cities on Tuesday after heavy rain poured over the regions since Monday evening. ■
