Weather Modification Operations Continue Across West and Central Kalimantan

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency is continuing the Weather Modification Operation (OMC) to improve the management of forest and land fires in Central and West Kalimantan. The operation reportedly reduced the size of the two targeted regions in the two provinces on Friday, September 4, 2026.

In West Kalimantan, the OMC has been carried out from August 28 to September 4, 2026. During this period, 10 flight sorties have been conducted, using a total of 8,000 kilograms of sodium chloride (NaCl) as the seeding material. In Central Kalimantan, the operation was conducted from August 26 to September 5, 2026. By September 4, 9 flight sorties had been conducted using 7,200 kilograms of NaCl as the seeding material.

“This operation is a coordinated step by the government to increase land moistening, especially in peat ecosystems, to support ground extinguishing, and to suppress the risk of fire spread and smoke dispersion,” said the Director of Land Fire Control of The Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency, Dasrul Chaniago, through a written statement in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, on Saturday, September 5, 2026.

Dasrul emphasized the crucial role of weather modification intervention in the field, as it helps moisten peatlands and supports the work of firefighting teams. However, Dasrul continued, these artificial rain efforts are not standalone measures.

“Its implementation must be carried out in conjunction with patrols, hotspot inspections, ground extinguishing, peat moistening, water management, community involvement, business entity supervision, and law enforcement,” he said.

Dasrul explained that in each implementation, the OMC is conducted based on atmospheric condition analysis, potential cloud growth, wind direction and speed, hotspot distribution, and the need for moistening in fire-prone areas. As a result, on Friday, September 4, rain was observed in several OMC target areas.

In West Kalimantan, rain occurred in Putussibau, Kubu Raya Regency, and Pontianak City. While in Central Kalimantan, rain was observed in Kotawaringin Barat Regency. “The rainfall is expected to increase land humidity, support the cooling process of fire locations, and dampen the potential for the fire to reignite,” said Dasrul.

As a follow-up, the OMC implementation in West Kalimantan will continue with the support of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) from September 3 to 14, 2026. Meanwhile, the sustainability of the OMC in Central Kalimantan is supported by the Ministry of Forestry.

Dasrul emphasized that the operation will continue, and vigilance must not be allowed to decrease. “Our main goal is to prevent the spread of fires, protect public health, maintain air quality, and ensure that forest and land fire handling takes place quickly, comprehensively, and sustainably.”

According to the Nusantara Atlas satellite analytic map platform's monitoring data on forest and land fires in Indonesia, the number of hotspots and the burning area have increased until today, Saturday, September 5, 2026. The graph shows a sharp spike, rising almost vertically since last July.

West Kalimantan has the most hotspots, at 104,000, followed by Central Kalimantan with 79,000. As for the burned area, West Kalimantan has observed 26,000 hectares, equivalent to the combined area of South Jakarta and West Jakarta. Meanwhile, Central Kalimantan covers an area of 1,500 hectares.

Read: BNPB: Forest Fires Hit 5 Mountain Areas in East Java

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