Heavy rains over the Klang Valley late on Saturday afternoon and early morning yesterday was due to the tail-end of the North-East Monsoon and not cloud seeding.

Director of Atmospheric and Cloud Seeding, the Department of Meteorological Malaysia, Azhar Ishak, said heavy rain was not caused by cloud seeding.

“By the end of the North-East Monsoon season, easterly winds bring rainfall,” he told Bernama in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

He said however, the department had established cloud seeding operations once a week due to the hot weather and haze.

Azhar said the main purpose of cloud seeding was to increase the water level in catchment areas and to assist in minimising the haze.

“We also carry out dry cloud seeding operations by putting a cylinder with a half-feet size, using the composition of dry salt. The use of salt in the cylinder is known as hygroscopic flares, a type of salt that is readily absorbed by clouds and accelerate the clouds forming,” he said.

The haze in the Klang Valley was reported as serious, with Air Pollutant Index (API) readings reaching 358 on March 14, but the rain yesterday morning had reduced the readings to 59.

- Bernama