PAPAR, March 30 ― The cloud seeding operation (CSO) conducted in Sabah has successfully produced 4.0 millimetres of rainfall until 4pm yesterday in Papar, said District Disaster Management Committee chairman, Mohd Fuad Abdullah.
He said a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) C-130 aircraft took off at 10.25 am from Labuan to conduct the CSO yesterday before concluding at 1.56pm with a success rate of 67 per cent.
“The CSO was carried out in catchment areas in Papar, Lahad Datu, and Tawau to increase river water levels to meet domestic needs,” he said in a statement here today.
He said the overall three-day CSO, which ended today, was conducted in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), the Malaysian Meteorological Department, RMAF and the Federal Territory of Labuan Water Supply Division.
Mohd Fuad said Papar also experienced the direct effects of unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings ranging from 151 to 200 in the Kimanis area yesterday.
“After the success of the CSO, the API in Kimanis as of 9.00pm yesterday had slightly decreased to 175 but still remains at an unhealthy level,” he said.
Meanwhile, a check on the Malaysian Department of Environment's Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) website found the API in the Kimanis area to be at 158 as of 10am today, the only area in Sabah recording unhealthy API.
On March 13, Mohd Fuad, who is also the Papar District Officer, declared the district a drought disaster area following a water supply crisis due to the prolonged drought affecting the area. ― Bernama
