Malaysia to launch cloud seeding to combat haze as Indonesia battles forest fires

Malaysia is preparing to launch cloud seeding operations, including in Indonesian airspace, to combat worsening haze as neighboring Indonesia battles widespread forest and land fires, officials said Monday.

Malaysian Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup discussed the operations with his Indonesian counterpart Jumhur Hidayat, with Jakarta approving Malaysia's use of Indonesian airspace for the effort, according to Malaysian state-run Bernama News.

Cloud seeding involves dispersing substances into clouds to encourage rainfall, which can help reduce haze and assist efforts to contain fires. The two countries are discussing the timing of the operations along their shared border.

The move comes as the intensifying El Nino phenomenon and the Southwest Monsoon increase the risk of severe peatland and forest fires heading into October.

Fires have already affected around 285,000 hectares (704,000 acres) in Indonesia so far this year.

By Monday, 10 areas across four Malaysian states registered Air Pollutant Index readings in the unhealthy range, with the town of Serian approaching the "very unhealthy" threshold.

In neighboring Indonesia, around 3 million people have been exposed to smoke from forest and land fires, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said, according to Antara News.

Berton Panjaitan, head of the communications center at Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), told Anadolu that the country "is currently facing an elevated risk of forest and land fires, particularly in parts of Kalimantan and Sumatra."

“The situation is serious, but it remains under active control. Ground and aerial firefighting operations are being carried out simultaneously, including water bombing, aerial patrols and weather modification operations where conditions allow,” he said in a written statement.

He added that forest and land fires have been reported across several provinces since the beginning of the dry season, with "activity increasing significantly in recent months."

Local authorities have also been investigating 89 fire-related cases across nine provinces, Berton said.

Indonesia's president on Monday ordered the revocation of business permits held by corporations suspected of ordering forest and land fires.

Indonesian police have also named 72 suspects in forest and land fire cases across nine regional jurisdictions as authorities step up efforts to curb the blazes, broadcaster Kompas TV reported.

Police seized evidence including plastic bottles filled with diesel fuel in cases involving suspected deliberate arson, according to the report.