THE Penang government is committed to implementing cloud seeding at its own expense in the ongoing fight against Covid-19.
In his daily message via Facebook live on his FB page today, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said he had sought the Federal Government’s help through the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) to implement cloud seeding in Penang and Kedah as soon as possible.
After sending two letters, dated March 5 and April 10, to MetMalaysia, Chow said he got a reply, dated April 14, saying the operating costs for airplane rentals and hygroscopic flares must be borne by the state government while MetMalaysia would provide only technical expertise.
“MetMalaysia said it was ready to cooperate in carrying out the cloud seeding operation (OPA) in the northern region when needed and under the right atmospheric conditions,” Chow said.
“Thus, in line with the needs of the 3.95 million people living in Penang and Kedah who need daily water supply to maintain good personal hygiene, the Penang government is committed to implementing this cloud seeding at its own expense.
“We hope that immediate action will be taken by relevant parties in the interest of the public’s health and safety in the state in particular.”
Chow said based on past experience, the dry cloud seeding operation (as proposed by MetMalaysia) costs RM27,000 for a day’s operation.
The northern states have been undergoing prolonged dry spells and water levels at dams have been declining.
For the record, dry cloud seeding had been conducted in Penang between April 28, 2019 and May 4, 2019 and between Jan 18, 2020 and Jan 21, 2020 for water and agricultural purposes. During the process, dry ice was dumped onto clouds to cause a rain shower.
However, on Sept 19, 2019, wet cloud seeding was carried out in Penang where salt was sprayed into the clouds to tackle the haze problem.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix & video by Alissala Thian