SERDANG: Cloud-seeding operations will be conducted in areas affected by haze, particularly those recording air pollutant index (API) readings above 150, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the operation was necessary to prevent water supply disruptions across various states that have dams experiencing declining water levels.
“This is necessary as we are aware that many dams have shown a decline in water levels in certain areas,” he said, after officiating the launch of the Laman Usahawan Desa@Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) 2026 here on Sunday (Aug 30).
However, Zahid said cloud seeding would only be carried out when weather conditions were suitable, as the presence of clouds alone was insufficient to guarantee rainfall in affected areas.
“Cloud seeding will only be carried out not only according to need but also on current weather conditions.
“This is because even if clouds are present, we need to monitor their movement to determine whether they are moving towards the targeted affected areas,” he said.
He added that the cloud seeding operations were currently being carried out in collaboration with the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
This comes as hazardous API readings have been recorded in Sarawak as of 3.16pm on Sunday, according to the Department of Environment's (DOE) Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) portal.
The most heavily hit so far is the Serian Police headquarters monitoring station, which reached a 431 API reading, followed by Samarahan at 336 and Kuching at 316.
Very unhealthy API levels have also been detected at Sri Aman (248) and Sarikei (203) in Sarawak.
Meanwhile, 13 areas across the country have reached unhealthy API levels, including Sibu (191), Bintulu (183), Mukah (183), Samalaju (175), Miri (161), Kapit (161), the Miri Industrial Training Institute (ILP) (158), and Limbang (111) in Sarawak
Other unhealthy API areas include Labuan (152), Politeknik Kota Kinabalu (146), Batu Muda (138), Johan Setia (128), and Taiping (106).
On Malaysians affected by the situation in Nepal, Zahid said 91 Malaysians were involved, with 55 in Nepal and the remainder in China, with the Foreign Ministry still coordinating efforts to obtain the latest information on those affected.
He said Malaysia was also prepared to send a team comprising trained personnel and sufficient equipment to assist areas in need.
“We are actually on standby because we have those who are trained and also sufficient equipment that we can send to areas that require assistance,” he said.
