February 5, 2026 | 05:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia has been seeing a surge in hydrometeorological disasters across various regions. The government has been running weather modification operations to mitigate this—a measure often deemed as a mere shortcut to alleviate the impacts of floods, landslides, and extreme weather.
Sonni Setiawan, a lecturer from the Department of Geophysics and Meteorology at IPB University, concurs that weather modification could minimize the impact of hydrometeorological disasters. But he emphasizes that it remains a short-term solution that falls short of addressing the root cause of the problem.
"Weather modification is important as a mitigation effort, but it must be underlined that this is not a permanent solution. It does not solve the key drivers of hydrometeorological disasters," Sonni says in a written statement on Thursday, February 5, 2026.
How Effective Is Weather Modification?
The effects of weather modification hinge on atmospheric conditions—the existence of clouds with certain characteristics. In areas with an abundance of clouds, modifying the weather is done by combining nearby clouds to accelerate precipitation. "If the atmospheric conditions do not support it, weather modification automatically becomes ineffective. So, it cannot be forced," he says.
Even if the weather conditions are favorable, Sonni says the impact of weather modification is local and limited to specific areas. This becomes a serious problem when weather modification is applied to a larger region. "Weather modification is ineffective when implemented for a larger area. Forcing it would lead to a waste of budget," he says.
Excessive dependence on weather modification also risks obscuring the fundamental problems that trigger hydrometeorological disasters, such as land use change, damage in watershed areas, deforestation, and unsustainable environmental management. "As long as the crux of the issue remains unsolved, weather modification will continue to be ineffective. This is a mere treatment against the symptoms, not the disease," he says.
Sonni calls for long-term and systemic approaches to address hydrometeorological disasters based on environmental improvement, mature spatial planning, and capacity building for affected communities.
"Weather modification may be implemented, but it must be proportionate and science-based. It should not divert attention from much bigger issues," said Sonni.
Read: Jakarta Conducts Three-Stage Weather Modification to Curb Floods
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