Indonesia has stepped up efforts to contain forest and land fires across six priority provinces, deploying cloud-seeding aircraft to induce rain as authorities seek to slow the haze now spreading across the region, officials said.
Efforts to Contain Fires
Indonesia is facing a longer and more severe dry season this year as El Nino intensifies, raising the risk of drought, forest fires, and air pollution. Forestry Ministry data showed that 107,465 hectares of land were hit by fires from January to June, a 110% increase compared with the same period in 2023, when El Nino last affected Indonesia.
Classes for all students have been moved online in Pontianak, capital of West Kalimantan, after a decline in air quality caused by the haze, the city’s mayor said. Djamari Chaniago, chief security minister, said 43 helicopters and 15 fixed-wing aircraft have been deployed to put out the fires.
Authorities have also conducted cloud seeding operations, shooting salt flares to stimulate rainfall, but Djamari said the operations are challenging because of the scarcity of rain clouds. On Tuesday, 11 areas in Malaysia’s Sarawak state, which shares a border with Indonesia on Borneo island, recorded unhealthy air quality levels, according to data from Malaysia’s environmental department.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
