Indonesia to use artificial rain to prevent fires

JAKARTA: In preparation for the upcoming dry season, Indonesian authorities are looking to use weather modification technology to produce artificial rain that will help prevent peatland fires.

According to state news agency Antara, Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency BRGM head Hartono said that the agency will work with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency BNPB to improve water reserves using artificial rain.

In very vulnerable locations, we are working with BNPB to carry out weather modification technology in an effort to add water reserves through artificial rain. Local media had previously reported that weather modification technology, known as artificial rain technology, creates rain that helps to put out fires. It is carried out by seeding cumulonimbus clouds with sodium chloride to cause immediate condensation and rain, Antara reported.

On Monday, Hartono said that BRGM would update regional heads of vulnerable areas on the latest weather conditions that could cause fires.

According to Antara, seven regional heads whose areas are prone to peatland fires should be informed about the latest conditions regarding humidity and drought in their areas.

The potential for fires is reportedly spreading across the provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Papua.

Antara said that BRGM will work together with other agencies, namely the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency BMKG and the National Research and Innovation Agency BRIN.

The move to restore degraded peatlands through artificial rain was reported as a preventative measure against the La Nina effect, especially on over-drained peatlands.

The La Nina effect is when peatlands that have been drained through canal construction have the potential to get over-drained during the dry season, making them susceptible to fires.