Make it rain: Indonesia chases clouds to stem El Nino fires

Indonesia is exploring cloud seeding as a potential solution to its worsening wildfire season, driven by a strong El Nino phenomenon. The government has already conducted over 252 cloud-seeding operations since 2021, with plans to ramp up efforts further. Meteorologist Safillah Anggie Wahyuni, who has logged more than 300 flight hours in cloud-seeding missions, believes optimizing existing clouds can help trigger precipitation and combat the fires.

However, experts question the technique's effectiveness during the dry season, when wildfires typically peak. Cloud seeding has been in use since 1977 in Indonesia, but its efficacy is still hard to assess and raises concerns about potential harms linked to the use of silver iodide. While the government acknowledges cloud seeding as a mitigation effort rather than a permanent solution, environmental activists argue that addressing the root causes of fires, such as large-scale deforestation and peatland conversion, is crucial.

Indonesia's frequent wildfires, which send haze across neighboring countries, are expected to worsen this year due to the El Nino effect amplifying the region's already dry conditions.