SARAWAK’S dams have been placed at the top of the target list for a three-day cloud-seeding operation as authorities seek to replenish water supplies amid hot and dry weather gripping the state.
The operation, led by the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) in collaboration with the Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia) and Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM), began today following atmospheric analysis to identify suitable towering cumulus clouds for seeding.
METMalaysia officer Mohd Ridzuan Adam said the operation would cover a wide area, but dam catchments had been given priority.
“After we identify suitable cloud locations (towering cumulus) through atmospheric analysis, we will fly to the area and carry out cloud-seeding using the seeding materials.
“The operational area this time is quite extensive and many locations have been identified, but priority is given to dam areas,” he said when met before the operation at the TUDM base in Kuching today.
He said the aircraft was carrying four tanks, each containing about 1,800 litres of water and 200 kilogrammes of salt, bringing the total amount of salt used to 800 kilogrammes per operation.
The total payload weighs about eight tonnes.
Mohd Ridzuan said cloud development and rainfall would typically occur between one and three hours after seeding, although the timing depended on atmospheric conditions, including air stability and wind movement.
He said cloud seeding during the southwest monsoon was more challenging because the atmosphere tended to be stable.
“However, efforts will continue to produce rain in the target areas, and the operation is more focused on increasing dam water levels rather than solely addressing the haze problem,” he said.
Meanwhile, METMalaysia expects the haze in Sarawak to persist for several more days as a high number of hotspots linked to open burning continue to be detected in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
METMalaysia director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the department was continuously monitoring weather conditions in Sarawak, particularly the development of haze and meteorological factors that could influence its intensity.
He said analysis of haze movement and concentration using METMalaysia’s Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model indicated that the haze was expected to continue over the coming days.
“The model also predicts that the air pollutant index (API) is expected to remain within the current range, given the very high number of hotspots caused by open burning in western Kalimantan.
“It is also driven by consistent winds blowing from the area into Sarawak,” he said when contacted today.
Earlier, Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said API readings in some parts of the state could potentially reach 800.
Mohd Hisham said the haze was expected to ease only if the fires currently burning in Kalimantan were brought under control quickly.
He said METMalaysia was also taking meteorological factors into account, including wind direction and rainfall, when monitoring the haze situation in Sarawak.
“Changes in haze conditions depend on prevailing weather factors, particularly wind direction and the presence of rain, which can influence the movement and concentration of haze,” he said. -September 3, 2026
