
Sabah and Sarawak affairs, and special functions minister Armizan Ali said this cloud-seeding operation was in response to a request from the Penang state government. It is being coordinated by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), the meteorological department (MetMalaysia), and air force.
“The operation targets the area around the Teluk Bahang and Air Itam dams in Penang as part of initial action to overcome the depletion of water in the two dams,” he said at a press conference held at the air force base here.
He said the water level at both dams is currently below 50%, adding that the cost for this operation will be discussed by the state government and Nadma.
“For the two operations in Penang, a big portion will be paid by the state government since there is an allocation for this in their state budget.”
Armizan also said MetMalaysia was monitoring six rivers in case cloud-seeding operations there become necessary, namely Sungai Muda, Sungai Kedah, Sungai Melaka, Sungai Kelantan, Sungai Klang, Sungai Bernam and Sungai Similajau.
On May 2, cloud-seeding operations were carried out in the catchment area of the Teluk Bahang and Air Itam dams in Penang following a decrease in raw water reserves.
Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow later said the state will continue to seek approval for more cloud-seeding operations.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram