KUCHING, Sept 3 — A three-day cloud-seeding operation targeting key hydroelectric dams and water catchment areas across Sarawak commenced today to boost water levels and mitigate haze conditions, announced Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
Uggah, who chairs the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), stated that the operation—scheduled through Sept 5—remains subject to atmospheric conditions and the availability of suitable cloud formations.
Initial seeding efforts focused on the Batang Ai hydroelectric plant before teams moved to assess conditions over the Murum and Bakun dams.
“We are also targeting 13 water catchment areas in Sarawak. The purpose is to increase the amount of water in these areas,” Uggah told reporters following an operational briefing here today.
The inter-agency exercise involves the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
Beyond water replenishment, Uggah explained that inducing rainfall aims to alleviate haze affecting several parts of the state. However, he emphasized that resolving the air quality issues largely depends on hotspot control in neighboring Indonesia, as local hotspot counts in Sarawak remain low.
“We hope the rainfall will help us reduce the haze. That is another objective, but we cannot promise the haze will disappear because we must not forget where the source of the haze comes from,” Uggah said. “We hope that they (Indonesia) will continue to do their best to reduce the number of hotspots there. If the number of hotspots there is reduced, then the haze will also decrease because the number of hotspots here in Sarawak is very low.”
–NMT
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