KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — A total of 12 cloud seeding operations were carried out in several parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak between Aug 30 and Oct 23 to mitigate the impact of transboundary haze on the country’s air quality.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) said the operations were conducted by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
It said the operations covered the northern, central and southern regions of Peninsular Malaysia, as well as Sarawak, during the transboundary haze episode.
“The operations successfully induced rainfall in several targeted areas, helping to raise water levels in dams and reduce the impact of transboundary haze,” it said in a written reply published on the Parliament website.
The ministry was replying to a question from Datuk Larry Soon (PBM-Julau) on measures taken by the government to address transboundary haze caused by open burning in neighbouring country.
NRES said the government had also activated various preparedness measures, including the National Open Burning Action Plan and the National Haze Action Plan, to prevent and mitigate the effects of haze.
It said checks conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities had so far found no official information or evidence linking any Malaysian-related plantation companies to forest or plantation fires in Indonesia.
“Nevertheless, the government takes any allegations involving Malaysian-related companies seriously, and any information or evidence presented must be examined in cooperation with the relevant authorities, in accordance with applicable laws and jurisdictions,” the ministry said.
