Indonesia Prepares 35 Cloud-Seeding Operations to Mitigate El Niño Fire Risks

Indonesia is preparing 35 Weather Modification Operations (OMC) in 2026 as part of wider efforts to reduce the risk of forest and land fires linked to an anticipated early and prolonged dry season. The programme follows updated warnings from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on the potential onset of El Niño in mid-2026. The operations will focus on land rewetting in fire-prone regions, coordinated across national agencies and the private sector.

Responding to earlier and drier seasonal forecasts

The decision to scale up OMC activities reflects BMKG forecasts that the 2026 dry season could be longer and more severe than in 2025. Earlier projections had placed the next El Niño event in 2027, but BMKG now expects it to begin in mid-2026, with weak to moderate intensity.

Deputy Minister of Forestry Rohmat Marzuki said the government has developed a structured timetable to ensure sustained implementation throughout the year.

“The OMC requires a significant budget and must be carried out routinely. Therefore, we have created a timeline that requires no fewer than 35 OMC operations this year,” — Rohmat Marzuki, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Ministry of Forestry

Inter-agency coordination and funding arrangements

The operations will be carried out jointly by the Ministry of Forestry, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and BMKG, with additional participation from the private sector. Companies holding Forest Utilisation Business Permits (PBPH) are expected to contribute to implementation costs.

According to the Ministry of Forestry’s Director General of Law Enforcement, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, each OMC deployment could run for 10 to 12 days during prolonged dry conditions. Operations are expected to involve two daily sorties.

“Each operation will cover one provincial administrative area, with a focus on districts and cities where large-scale forest and land fires have previously occurred,” — Dwi Januanto Nugroho, Director General of Law Enforcement, Ministry of Forestry

The budget for each operation is estimated at Rp2.3–2.5 billion (US$131,000–US$143,000), reflecting the logistical and technical requirements of cloud-seeding and monitoring activities.

Geographic focus on fire-prone provinces

BMKG has forecast that the dry season in Sumatra will begin gradually in May, starting in northern Aceh, parts of North Sumatra, southeastern Riau, parts of Jambi, central South Sumatra, and Lampung. By June, drier conditions are expected to expand to most of Aceh, West Sumatra, Riau, central Jambi, parts of Bengkulu, and South Sumatra.

OMC activities will prioritise these and other regions with a history of recurring forest and land fires, aiming to maintain soil moisture and reduce ignition risks during peak dry months. The original report was published by ANTARA News.