inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) emphasized that the Weather Modification Operation (OMC) conducted in Indonesia is a measured, science-based disaster mitigation effort aimed at protecting the public amidst the increasing threat of climate change.
Tri Handoko Seto, Deputy for Weather Modification at BMKG, stated that OMC is implemented as a parallel response to the declining environmental support capacity and the increasing risk of extreme weather, particularly heavy rainfall that has the potential to cause hydrometeorological disasters.
In this regard, the BMKG also responded to a narrative circulating on social media that OMC poses the risk of being a ticking time bomb, as it is believed to destabilize the weather, trigger cold pool phenomena, shift rain to other areas, and create a false sense of security for the public.
Deputy Tri explained that cold pools are a completely natural meteorological phenomenon that forms every time it rains, whether naturally or through OMC. This phenomenon occurs due to the evaporation of rainwater beneath storm clouds, which cools the air and creates a dense air mass that descends to the surface.
According to him, linking cold pools to the harmful effects of OMC is a scientific error. This is because OMC, using cloud seeding techniques, does not grow new clouds; it only triggers natural processes in clouds that have already formed and become naturally saturated.
"The purpose of OMC is purely for disaster mitigation, namely increasing or decreasing rainfall according to risk management needs, not triggering weather instability. In terms of energy, current human technology is also incapable of creating cold air masses on a large scale as feared," explained Tri on Wednesday (1/28/2026).
Regarding the assumption that the OMC shifts rainfall to other areas, he explained that two methods are used: the jumping process method, which seeded clouds at sea so that rain fell before reaching land, and the competition method, which reduced the intensity of clouds growing on land to prevent them from developing into extreme rainfall.
Tri added that flooding is greatly influenced by the environment's ability to respond to rainfall. He cited the loss of approximately 800 infiltration lakes in the Greater Jakarta area since the 1930s as a major factor in the reduction of water catchment areas.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) emphasized that environmental management remains the primary step in flood management, but must run parallel with rainfall control efforts such as the OMC.
Going forward, strengthening weather modification capacity and improving environmental management need to continue to address the increasingly real challenges of climate change.
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