- Title: Smothered by smog, Malaysian turns to cloud seeding
- Date: 18th September 2019
- Summary: SHAH ALAM, SELANGOR STATE, MALAYSIA (SEPTEMBER 18, 2019) (REUTERS) AF JETS CEO AMIRUL NIZAR ANUAR WALKS PAST A SIGN READING (English): "RAINMAKER, AF JETS" (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Malaysia) AF JETS CEO, AMIRUL NIZAR ANUAR, SAYING: "By using pyrotechnic, it can make the sodium chloride (cloud seeding chemical) finer and lighter so it can stay longer in the air and at the same time it will induce and produce rain a lot faster. We've been practising this method for about 10 years, God forbid, it has been successful and effective. The rain fall has been consistent, 60 percent ten years ago and now increased to 90 percent." VARIOUS OF TECHNICIANS FIXING HYGROSCOPIC FLARES ONTO THE AIRCRAFT (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Malaysia) AF JETS CEO AMIRUL NIZAR ANUAR, SAYING: "The best time to carry out cloud seeding activity is in the morning when humidity is very high, and also early midday. With our method, we can produce rain faster and there is no perfect timing for this process. And it is very subjective, so we have to put extra efforts to ensure that the process is successful." AMIRUL ENGAGED IN A DISCUSSION WITH AF JETS METEOROLOGIST AZHAR ISHAK
- Embargoed: 2nd October 2019 11:57
- Keywords: cloud seeding haze Malaysia burning forests smog
- Location: SHAH ALAM, SELANGOR STATE, MALAYSIA
- City: SHAH ALAM, SELANGOR STATE, MALAYSIA
- Country: Malaysia
- Topics: Pollution,Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA002AX6ND53
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: At an altitude of just 3,000 feet (915 meters), flares attached to both sides of the Cessna 172 aircraft lit up brightly, dispersing chemicals over Malaysia on Wednesday (September 18) in the hope of bringing rain to clear the smoky air.
It's dry season in Southeast Asia and fires are again flaring, especially in the forests of Indonesia where blazes are started to clear land for plantations. Smoke is drifting across the region, raising worries about health and economic damage, especially to tourism.
Malaysia hopes that cloud seeding, releasing chemicals such as sodium chloride and magnesium oxide into the air from aircraft, can encourage water droplets to form and rain to fall.
One of the methods used to bring rain over Malaysia is called dry seeding, which can be carried out by light aircraft at lower altitudes and over smaller areas.
The firm carrying out the seeding flights over Selangor state, AFJets, has been doing it for 10 years and boasts a success rate of nearly 90%, its firm's chief executive, Amrul Nizar Anuar, said.
Malaysia's air force carried out cloud seeding in three states last weekend, with more expected on Thursday (September 19).
Despite scattered rain following the seeding, haze conditions worsened on Wednesday.
Nearly 1,500 schools were ordered to close, affecting more than a million children, the education ministry said.
(Production: Ebrahim Harris) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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