Indonesia Boosts Cloud Seeding Against Kalimantan Wildfires

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government continues to optimize Weather Modification Operations (OMC) to combat wildfires across Kalimantan. 

"The operations remain supported by ground suppression, patrols, early detection, and coordination across ministries, agencies, and regional governments," said Ristianto Pribadi, Head of the Bureau of Public Relations and Foreign Cooperation at the Ministry of Forestry, in an official statement from the Government Communications Agency (Bakom) received in Jakarta on Friday, August 21.

OMC forms part of an integrated strategy for controlling forest and land fires, aimed at increasing the likelihood of rainfall and moistening vulnerable areas.

Targeted Cloud Seeding in Kalimantan

In West Kalimantan, OMC was carried out from August 13 to 17, 2026, through the Pontianak Command Post. Over this period, crews conducted nine flight sorties, yielding an estimated rainfall volume of 10.92 million cubic meters across the targeted seeding area.

Based on the latest weather forecasts, a window to resume OMC will open from August 23 to 27, 2026. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) is currently coordinating with relevant stakeholders to ensure operations resume in West Kalimantan during that period.

Meanwhile, in Central Kalimantan, OMC was executed across two periods: July 27 to August 4 and August 11 to 15, 2026. The operation spanned 13 sorties, generating an estimated rainfall volume of approximately 4.8 million cubic meters in the seeding zone.

"However, through the end of August 2026, weather conditions in Central Kalimantan are predicted to remain predominantly dry with limited rain cloud development," Ristianto said.

Therefore, the immediate window for cloud seeding operations remains extremely narrow. Continuous atmospheric monitoring is underway to identify any potential cloud seeding opportunities.

In South Kalimantan, authorities continue to closely monitor weather developments, thermal hotspots, and wildfire conditions. Prospects for launching OMC will be evaluated based on cloud availability and operational demand on the ground.

"Given that OMC relies heavily on atmospheric conditions, seeding operations can only proceed when cloud formations meet technical requirements," he said.

Expanding Air Support and Ground Suppression

Across these three provinces, cloud seeding is not the sole instrument used to manage forest and land fires. The government continues to prioritize direct ground suppression, joint patrols, site cooling, personnel and equipment reinforcement, and containment efforts to prevent blazes from spreading.

"Weather conditions and field operations are evaluated periodically to ensure every response step is executed quickly, accurately, and cohesively," Ristianto noted.

The government has also expanded its aviation fleet to bolster fire containment efforts. Aerial operations serve to support ground task forces, particularly in reaching remote hotspots that remain difficult or impossible to access by land.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has coordinated directly with the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to scale up air support for water-bombing operations in Central Kalimantan.

"The addition of the fleet is expected to broaden operational reach, particularly in hard-to-access locations requiring aerial wetting; however, fleet deployment must still account for visibility, smoke conditions, weather patterns, and flight safety standards," Ristianto said.

Combating Haze and Weather Challenges

Thick haze over the past two days has posed severe challenges for air operations, particularly around Jabiren, Tanjung Taruna, and the Sebangau National Park area. Excessively dense smoke restricts pilots' visibility of both targets and flight corridors.

However, limited air operations do not signal a halt to response efforts. Whenever cloud cover fails to support the weather modification operations or visibility is not safe for water bombing, ground task forces continue fire suppression, containment blocking, wetting, cooling, and safeguarding vulnerable locations.

"Operational strategies are continuously adjusted based on actual conditions on the ground," Ristianto said.

Read: Kalimantan Wildfires Delay 21 Flights at Supadio Airport

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