Indonesia ramps up fire-fighting tactics across six key provinces

Indonesia has stepped up its response to forest fires in six priority provinces, combining cloud-seeding operations, ground firefighting and aerial water bombing. BNPB chief Suharyanto highlighted that weather modification produces widespread rain, making it the most successful method, followed by ground crews that can tackle deep-soil peat fires, and finally water-bombing aircraft that deliver about four tons of water per sortie.

He stressed that all three tactics must work together, as water drops create firebreaks for ground teams to operate safely. Specialized peat injection nozzles are used to inject water one to two meters underground to extinguish smoldering peat. The agency also seeds clouds over fire-free zones, such as Banjarmasin, to shield the city from smoke originating in neighboring districts. National data up to early September shows burned land totaling 76,922.3 hectares across the six provinces, with 939.45 hectares of peatland still under intensive firefighting.