Indonesian authorities have deployed more than a dozen aircraft for cloud-seeding operations and approximately 43 helicopters to assist ground crews, as wildfires have burned through more than 100,000 hectares of land and prompted the mobilisation of nearly 50,000 firefighters across six provinces.
Indonesia Deploys Cloud-Seeding Aircraft as Wildfires Burn Over 100,000 Hectares
Indonesian authorities have deployed more than a dozen aircraft for cloud-seeding operations and approximately 43 helicopters to assist ground crews, as wildfires have burned through more than 100,000 hectares of land and prompted the mobilisation of nearly 50,000 firefighters across six provinces.
Dozens of schools in Pontianak, the main city in West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo, remained closed for a second consecutive day on Tuesday after the city's mayor ordered remote learning to continue for as long as air quality stays poor, according to a statement issued by Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono on Monday.
Authorities have identified six provinces as priorities for firefighting efforts: Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra on Sumatra island, and West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan on Borneo island.
Chief Security Minister Djamari Chaniago told reporters on Monday that dry conditions were increasing the risk of the fires spreading. Chaniago also said authorities were encountering difficulty locating sufficient rain clouds for cloud-seeding operations, adding that personnel were monitoring weather patterns closely to conduct operations whenever conditions allowed. Cloud seeding involves spraying substances such as silver iodide and salt into clouds and can increase rainfall by up to 15 percent, according to the article.
El Niño, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that alters wind, air pressure and rainfall patterns globally and typically produces drier conditions in India and Southeast Asia, has been cited by officials as a contributing factor to the fire conditions across the Indonesian archipelago.
At Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java province, more than 150 personnel were working on Tuesday to extinguish the remnants of a fire that started nine days ago and destroyed approximately 900 hectares of land. The blaze had been largely contained and was reported to cover about 2 hectares at the time of reporting.
Ministry of Forestry data cited in the article indicate that more than 107,000 hectares of land were affected by fires across Indonesia from January to June, representing a 110 percent increase compared with the same period in 2023, the previous year in which El Niño affected the country.
- Which specific provinces or regions the schools that remain closed are located in, beyond Pontianak in West Kalimantan
- The exact number of schools closed
- The precise number or identity of the aircraft deployed for cloud-seeding beyond 'more than a dozen'
- The total area currently burning as distinct from the cumulative area burned since January
- Whether the nearly 50,000 firefighters figure refers to a national total or is specific to certain provinces
- Independent verification of the Ministry of Forestry data
- The cause or point of origin of any individual fire
- Whether any injuries, fatalities or evacuations have resulted from the fires
- The current air quality index readings in affected cities
Read the original at Al Jazeera English