Cloud seeding successful only in peninsula
PETALING JAYA: Cloud seeding in northern Selangor, southern Perak and west Pahang have successfully generated rainfall in the respective areas, said Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Minister Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau.
Tangau said in a statement that it brought rainfall to several areas near the Selangor and Perak border, northern border of Selangor and Pahang and southern Perak and the Pahang border, but was unsuccessful in Sarawak.
“In Sarawak, cloud seeding was conducted around Tebekang in the Samarahan division and the areas of Balai Ringindan Pantu in Sri Aman but it was not successful due to the dry and stable atmospheric condition,” he said.
Checks by theSun revealed that at 5pm yesterday, Samarahan recorded an unhealthy level in the Air Pollutant Index at 196 while Kuching and Sri Aman were at 189 and 143 respectively.
Two flights at the Kuching International Airport (LTAB Kuching) had been cancelled up to 10am yesterday due to the haze, Bernama reported.
Airport manager Mohd Nadzim Hashim said one was a flight arrival and the other, departure, involving the Kuching-Tanjung Manis and Tanjung ManisKuching sectors.
“The two airlines affected are AirAsia and Malindo Air, causing delays to 861 passengers,” he added.
Meanwhile, AFP reports that Indonesian police have detained seven people whose companies are allegedly connected with illegal agricultural fires that have cloaked Southeast Asia in haze.
They were arrested on Wednesday in Sumatra, where authorities have been battling smog-belching blazes started to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations, national police chief Badrodin Haiti said.
Police said some of those arrested were executives, but did not give details about all detained. Officials did not reveal their identities or say which firms they worked for.
They could face up to 15 years jail and heavy fines if found guilty of breaking Indonesian laws that ban starting forest fires.
In addition to the seven arrested, 133 people have been named suspects, Haiti said. This is a legal step in Indonesia that means investigators have enough evidence to consider filing charges against someone.