Indonesia bets on cloud seeding as haze crisis looms from 285,000 hectares burning in Borneo
PALANGKARAYA, Aug 19 — Indonesia’s Borneo, home to pristine rainforest and protected species, is burning. Me...
Indonesia faces a growing crisis as over 285,000 hectares of Borneo's pristine rainforest burn, driven by a strong El Nino season. Meteorologist Safillah Anggie Wahyuni believes cloud seeding could provide a solution, and the government has ramped up efforts, conducting 252 cloud-seeding operations since August 2025. Most operations aimed to produce rain away from flooded areas, but many targeted wildfires and peatlands.
Despite the high number of flights, some experts question the technique's effectiveness during the dry season, when wildfires peak. Indonesia's government maintains there is no evidence of harm from widespread use of silver iodide and emphasizes cloud seeding as a mitigation effort. Activists argue that cloud seeding overlooks underlying problems, such as deforestation and peatland conversion.
Meanwhile, nearly 50,000 firefighters are deployed on the ground, and satellite monitoring and patrols help detect fire hotspots.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
