KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — The cloud seeding operation in Johor yesterday showed positive developments when the state recorded rainfall between 5mm and 40mm as a result of the intervention.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the operation was conducted by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) in collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) to increase rainfall distribution in catchment areas affected by dry weather.
“Weather radar analysis showed that rain was detected as early as 5pm. Although the operation was not conducted at the Machap Dam due to the absence of suitable clouds, overall, this operation is categorised as successful,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Through the third series of operations this year, the RMAF C130-Hercules aircraft that departed from the Subang Air Base at 3.10pm targeted the Seluyut Dam, Lok Heng Cluster, Upper Layang, Lower Layang, Pulai, and Lebam areas using a technique of dispersing salt solution into cumulus clouds at an altitude of 5,000 to 7,000 feet.
Significant rainfall was recorded in Bukit Layang-layang (28.9mm), Johor Bahru (18.8mm), Felda Bukit Batu (5.1mm), and Labis (3.4mm).
“Thank you to the MetMalaysia and RMAF teams for their commitment to addressing water shortage issues in critical catchment areas for the well-being of the people. We will continue to monitor atmospheric conditions for further action, if necessary,” Arthur said.
