Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) dispersed 42 tons of salt over South Sumatra on Thursday to create artificial rain and speed up efforts to extinguish forest and land fires, it said.
The weather modification operation used transport aircraft from the Air Force and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Air Force said in a press release received in Jakarta.
“The seeding was carried out using a C-130 Hercules from Air Squadron 32 at Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang, along with two BNPB aircraft,” Air Force information office head Air Commodore Feri Yunaldi said in the release.
The aircraft took off from Sri Mulyono Herlambang Air Force Base in Palembang.
They then flew over the fire-affected areas, where crews switched on special equipment to spread the salt into the sky.
The salt reacts with clouds to produce rain.
Yunaldi said the Air Force has been conducting the operation for several days and that it has proven effective.
“In recent days, rain has fallen in Palembang city and several other areas in South Sumatra,” he said.
He said the operation would continue until all hotspots burning forests in the province are extinguished.
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Translator: Walda M, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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