Indonesia to deploy dry ice to reduce thick haze from fires

Jakarta: To combat thick haze affecting public health and impeding aerial firefighting efforts, Indonesia has deployed nearly 17,000 personnel across Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra. Acting head of disaster data, information and communication Berton Panjaitan revealed that 4,686 personnel were stationed in Central Kalimantan and 12,285 in South Sumatra, the provinces receiving the most urgent attention.

Ground operations are currently favored due to poor visibility limiting water-bombing helicopter activities, with 521.69 hectares already cleared in Central Kalimantan, including protected areas like Tanjung Puting National Park and Seruyan Regency. The Forestry Ministry reported the number of high-confidence hotspots in six priority provinces nearly doubled to 294 as of 9pm on Wednesday, up from 148 the previous day.

Central Kalimantan led with 130, followed by South Sumatra (91), West Kalimantan (59), Jambi (9), and South Kalimantan (5). Riau reported no hotspots. Despite very unhealthy to hazardous air quality in several provinces, the government plans to test dispersing 1.5 tonnes of dry ice over Palembang on Thursday, aiming to increase visibility from 1,000 meters to 5,000 meters.

This technique, developed with Thailand, could be extended to other affected regions if successful. Japan's military firefighting mission in Kalimantan concluded on September 29 after a 14-day deployment, with representatives from both countries formally notifying each other of the mission's end and submitting an operational report.

International assistance offers must be submitted through official government channels, specifying personnel, equipment, and deployment duration.