KUALA LUMPUR: The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry is seeking funding for drone-operated cloud seeding as haze and changing weather patterns make such operations increasingly necessary, says Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup (pic).
The minister said Malaysia currently does not have dedicated assets for cloud seeding as it had traditionally been treated as a seasonal operation.
“But because of climate change, because of global warming, because of haze, we are looking at cloud seeding becoming quite regular,” he told reporters at the Concorde Club on Monday (Oct 5).
The session, chaired by Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, discussed the topic “Haze, Heat & Hope”.
Arthur said repeatedly using the Air Force assets under the National Disaster Management Agency for cloud seeding was costly.
He said the ministry was therefore looking at newer technologies, including drone-operated cloud seeding, and hoped to secure an allocation for this under the Budget.
“We hope to get a budget for that so that it can be a more regular feature, a more regular service that we can provide to Malaysians,” he said.
Arthur said one cloud-seeding operation currently costs about RM100,000 on average, with costs rising slightly due to higher fuel prices.
He estimated the success rate at between 50% and 70%, although this could vary depending on factors such as wind direction and humidity.
“That can change because the direction of the wind can change, the humidity in the air can change, but we will usually do forecasting about wind direction and humidity levels before we go up,” he said.
Arthur said cloud seeding served two main purposes.
The first was to induce rainfall to reduce particulate matter in the air during haze episodes.
The second was to target water catchment areas in the hope of raising water levels in dams and increasing water supply.
The Concorde Club is an informal gathering of senior editors and journalists from local and foreign media organisations to discuss current affairs and national issues with politicians and policymakers.
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Concorde Club, Gathering, Funding, Cloud Seeding, Drones, Haze, Water Level
