The Head of National Disaster Management Agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana/BNPB), Doni Monardo, after the coordination meeting to overcome flooding, which was held in Jakarta, Thursday, Desember 2, 2020. (ANTARA)

Weather modification technology will be applied to overcome the massive flooding that struck the capital, Jakarta, and its surround areas, Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo confirmed in Jakarta on Thursday.

"We had discussed weather modification, which has been prepared today and will be applied this evening," Monardo said, adding that BNPB will perform this along with the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and Indonesian Military (TNI).

This technology is meant to decrease the volume of clouds in order to manage rainfall, as BPPT planned on translocating the rain to the west areas of Sunda Strait or Lampung, while if the wind blows in the direction of the east, the rain will hit the water reservoirs of Jatiluhur or Jatigede.

The TNI Headquarters has been provided two units of aircraft, CN295 and Cassa, since this morning, which are expected to perform the operational process of modification.

The high rain intensity had caused flooding in the New Year in Jakarta and the satellite cities, as well as in Banten and several regions of West Java on the very first day of 2020.

Solely counted over the Jakarta area, the flooding led to as many as 31.232 residents fleeing, according to the flood command post.

The death toll rose to 21 people as they suffered from hypothermia, buried by landslides and drowned by the floods. (ANTARA)