KUCHING: Sarawak may conduct cloud seeding early next month to mitigate the current dry spell, subject to suitable conditions, says Deputy Premier Datuk Douglas Uggah.
He said MetMalaysia was currently assessing suitable conditions for cloud seeding, with Sept 3 to 5 identified as a potential window.
“A further meeting on Sept 1 will determine whether conditions are suitable for the operation,” he said in a statement after chairing a Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) meeting yesterday.
The meeting was attended by the relevant agencies and Resident’s Offices to coordinate preparedness and mitigation measures for the potential impacts of El Nino and prolonged hot and dry conditions, including declining dam water levels.
Uggah said previous cloud seeding exercises on May 11 and 12 and June 19, 20 and 21 had a positive impact on dam water levels, according to Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB).
He said SEB and the Sarawak Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) had called for further cloud seeding operations due to anticipated dry weather during the El Nino weather phenomenon.
“SDMC had also requested additional cloud seeding support from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) in July.
“However, the prevailing weather conditions have not provided suitable cloud conditions for the operation,” he said, adding that El Nino conditions were expected to intensify in Sarawak between October and December and may persist until April.
He said the phenomenon was currently at moderate intensity, with a high potential to reach “super” El Nino intensity between September and January.
In addition, rainfall in the southwestern parts of Sarawak was expected to be below average from October to December.
“While the extent and duration of El Nino’s impacts cannot be determined with certainty, Sarawak is taking early measures to mitigate potential effects, particularly prolonged dry conditions and declining water levels.
“Preparedness is key. SDMC and the relevant agencies are taking proactive measures now rather than waiting for the situation to develop into a crisis,” he said.
On water supply preparedness, Uggah said a special operations team has been set up at the State Disaster Command Centre to monitor and coordinate the impact of declining water levels throughout Sarawak.
He said divisional disaster management committees and the relevant agencies will also review their preparedness, including water supplies, logistics and resources, to ensure timely assistance should conditions worsen.
