Rains bring relief to Indonesian provinces weary of fire haze
Light to heavy rains have recently fallen in Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and South Sumatra, encouraged by its cloud seeding operations, said Indonesia's climatology agency.
Rainfall has provided a much-needed respite to Indonesian provinces plagued by months of wildfires and toxic haze. Cloud seeding operations have been encouraging recent light to heavy rains in Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and South Sumatra, said the climatology agency of Indonesia. Residents and firefighters in Palangka Raya, the capital of Central Kalimantan, celebrated as intermittent rains brought a welcome break from the smoky conditions.
Exhausted volunteer firefighters danced and thanked the heavens for the rain, expressing gratitude for finally being able to breathe fresh air. Palangka Raya's air quality index had reached a record high of 4,000, more than 13 times the hazardous threshold set by the environment ministry. The World Health Organisation has linked exposure to such pollution to increased risks of illness and premature death.
Despite the relief, the climatology agency warned that dry weather would continue for a while, with more wildfires possible. Efforts to seed rain clouds for further rain are ongoing, but vigilance is necessary due to the potential for another dry period before the peak of the rainy season. At least 11 people have died fighting the wildfires, and over 1.9 million hectares have been consumed by the flames in the nine months leading up to September.
The haze has affected neighboring countries like Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and East Timor, straining Indonesia's ties with them. The fires are believed to be primarily caused by slash-and-burn land-clearing practices, often carried out by timber, palm oil, or mining companies.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
