THE Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) are conducting cloud seeding operations in the water catchment areas in the Teluk Bahang and Air Itam dams in Penang from today.

The RMAF announced the operation in a statement today, stating that it would continue till Thursday, and will involve the National Disaster Management Agency and the Penang government.

The operation that began at 11am involved the preparation of four 1,500-litre tanks of salt solution. 

“After three hours of preparation, all four tanks were loaded onto the C130H aircraft by the no. 20 squadron crew,” the statement read.

The RMAF aircraft was flown by the aircraft commander, Lt Col Mohd Khairol Fadly Abu Bakar, with two pilots, five crew members, four MetMalaysia staff and a water supervisory employee. They departed from the Subang airbase at 2.45pm.

“May our combined efforts help cloud seeding efforts and restore affected water supply that is dwindling in the catchment areas,” the statement read. – Bernama, May 2, 2023.