Indonesia begins cloud seeding to tackle Riau haze and worsening forest-land fires
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Abdul Muhari said the operation would run for at least seven days and could be extended depending on conditions in the field.
"A Cessna aircraft is scheduled to depart from Pondok Cabe Airport in Banten province on Sunday, and cloud seeding operations will be carried out on Monday using sodium chloride (NaCl) to induce rainfall over areas affected by the fires,' he said in a statement.
Data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) showed 1,208 fire hotspots across Sumatra as of Sunday, including 586 in Riau, and indicated that the resulting haze had reached parts of Malaysia, local broadcaster Metro TV reported.
BNPB has also deployed a Bell 206 helicopter for aerial patrols and repositioned a Mi-8MSB-T water bombing helicopter from Palembang to Riau.
A joint ground task force involving disaster officials, the military, police, fire brigades, and volunteers is also being mobilised. - Bernama
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