TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) will extend the weather modification operation in Riau for five days. The government has declared a state of emergency for wildfires due to the high number of hotspots. Rokan Hilir, one of its regencies, has extensive peatlands that are prone to burning.
Weather modification in Riau was implemented from May 1-7. "We are considering the potential to seed rain clouds to maximize the wetting efforts," said the Head of the Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center of BNPB, Abdul Muhari, in a written statement on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Over the past week, the weather modification team has flown for a total duration of 15 hours and 12 minutes to spread a total of 5.6 tons of Sodium Chloride (NaCl). The operation targets peatlands and water reservoirs.
As of May 6, fires have set ablaze 81 hectares of forest land in Riau. This province has recorded 144 fire hotspots, the highest number compared to other fire-prone areas such as Aceh, Jambi, and Central Kalimantan.
Muhari confirmed zero wildfires in Riau until Wednesday, May 7. Daily aerial observations did not detect any hotspots in areas considered susceptible to burning. Referring to the early warning from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), there is still the potential for moderate to heavy rain in several areas in Riau on Thursday.
The Indonesian government has established a Disaster Management Coordination Desk for Wildfires (Desk Karhutla) to handle fire potential in priority and special regions. Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan are included in the priority areas. While the special areas are in East Kalimantan, primarily because of the new capital city IKN development.
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