Jakarta – Authorities have admitted that the government's cloud seeding operations have failed to reduce intense rains in the country's planned future capital of Nusantara over the past weeks and have hampered the construction of a VVIP airport in the East Kalimantan city to-be.
Cloud seeding, which introduces tiny particles or chemicals to atmosphere in an effort to manipulate existing clouds and rainfall, has gained popularity worldwide as a way to either induce rain to combat drought or divert rain clouds to a desired place.
Since last month, the government has been carrying out such cloud seeding operations at the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) project to reduce heavy downpours, which according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) will last until August.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said that despite the weather modification efforts, torrential rains continued to be the biggest challenge for the construction of the key projects at the IKN site.
"We have deployed four aircraft [to perform the cloud seeding], but the rain persists," Budi said on Sunday as reported by Antara, adding that authorities only managed to do eight days of construction work last month.
Outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo initially planned to inaugurate Nusantara on the country's Independence Day on Aug. 17, but that plan has been scrapped and replaced with a more modest flag-hoisting ceremony in response to the city's sluggish development.
President Jokowi and president-elect Prabowo Subianto are set to attend the ceremony, along with a small group of guests.
In preparation, authorities have been trying to expedite the construction of certain major pieces of infrastructure at the IKN site ahead of the celebrations, including the so-called Nusantara airport.
The Transportation Ministry had hoped to complete the VVIP section of the airport, with a 2,200 meter runway, by Aug. 1, a goal that appears out of reach.
For the upcoming ceremony, the President and his entourage will likely use Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman International Airport in neighboring Balikpapan or Aji Pangeran Tumenggung Pranoto Airport in Samarinda, the former being 95 kilometers away from the IKN site and the latter 145 km.
Earlier this month, Jokowi canceled his plan to move to Nusantara as torrential rain hampered the construction of basic infrastructure, including for water and electricity. The President contended that such delays were "normal in a big project [like this]".
"Perhaps, based on calculations, the IKN will only be 15 percent done by Aug. 17," he said last week, while noting that it was a long-term project that would not be completed in two or three years. The government commenced the development of the IKN in the second half of 2022. (nal)