KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — The implementation of the cloud seeding operation (OPA) is being extended to several states following increased requests from states facing declining dam water levels, said Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip.
To date, the OPA has been carried out in areas identified as critical, particularly in states located in the northern and southern regions of the Peninsula.
He said that Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Melaka, and Johor have submitted requests for the operation following a drop in dam water levels in their respective areas.
“The application was submitted by the state governments through the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), with MetMalaysia acting as the technical agency responsible for implementing the operation,” Hisham told Bernama today.
He added that the current weather conditions were considered favourable for implementing the cloud-seeding operation, given that the country is in the monsoon transition phase, which began last Sunday (March 29).
The phase could facilitate the formation of thunderstorms, helping the cloud-seeding operation produce rainfall in targeted areas to increase dam water levels, and is expected to continue until May.
Hisham said that as of yesterday, one area in the Peninsula had recorded a Level Two heat wave, with daily maximum temperatures ranging from 37°C to 40°C for at least three consecutive days.
“Eight other areas are at Level One (Alert Status), with daily maximum temperatures ranging from 35°C to 37°C for at least three consecutive days. MetMalaysia expects this hot weather condition to continue until June 2026,” he said.
On Wednesday (April 1), Deputy Prime Minister cum Central Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that NADMA would carry out four series of cloud seeding operations in Perak, Kedah, Perlis, and Johor, from Monday (April 6) to tomorrow, as a proactive measure to increase water levels in dams affected by prolonged hot weather.
The operations were being implemented in response to the hot weather, which had affected several areas during the monsoon transition that began on March 29 and was expected to continue until May.
