As wildfires blaze across large parts of Riau province in Indonesia, authorities have turned to cloud seeding to help bring rain and ease the heat.
This weather modification effort has become a key part of the broader firefighting strategy, assisting firefighters on the ground and giving much-needed relief to communities battling smoke and flames.
The Growing Crisis
In recent weeks, the province of Riau on the island of Sumatra has faced intense wildfires, particularly across its peatlands. These fires are notoriously difficult to control because peat soil can burn deep below the surface, and dry conditions fuel the flames.
The regional disaster management agency declared an emergency alert as hot spots continued to spread across areas such as Bengkalis, Siak, Pelalawan and Dumai.
Dry weather and strong winds have made conventional firefighting efforts extremely challenging, with crews struggling to extinguish blazes using water bombing and ground teams alone.
Peatland fires also pose serious environmental and health risks. Smoke from burning forests and peat can spread over long distances, degrading air quality and affecting civilian health and travel across the region.
The urgency of the situation has prompted officials to look beyond traditional firefighting methods toward atmospheric intervention to alleviate the crisis more quickly.
What Cloud Seeding Is and How It Works
Cloud seeding is a form of weather modification aimed at encouraging precipitation. The technique involves dispersing particles into the atmosphere that act as nuclei around which moisture in existing clouds can condense and fall as rain.
These particles are often substances like sodium chloride — common salt — or silver iodide, depending on conditions and availability. The goal is not to create clouds out of clear skies, but to enhance the rain-producing potential of clouds that are already present.
In Riau’s case, authorities have taken advantage of suitable cloud formation over the region to seed clouds from the air.
This approach allows rainfall to be induced over fire-affected areas and adjacent landscapes. By increasing rainfall, cloud seeding aims to dampen dry vegetation, replenish moisture in the soil, and help firefighters bring peatland and forest fires under control more quickly.
Implementation
The weather modification operation in Riau is being led by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) in collaboration with regional disaster response teams.
A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft has been deployed from Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru to carry out cloud seeding missions. Throughout the operation, the aircraft disperses sodium chloride into cloud layers above targeted areas.
In the initial stages of the mission, about 8.5 tons of seeding salt were provided by BNPB. Local authorities have since received an additional 15 tons of salt to further strengthen ongoing efforts.
Missions have been focused especially on coastal and fire-prone districts where rainfall is most urgently needed to mitigate hot spots and rewet dry peatlands.
Teams from the regional disaster management agency — along with military personnel, police, forestry fire brigades and local community members — work collectively to support the cloud seeding flights and ground firefighting activities.
Early Results and Broader Impacts
Early reports from the campaign indicate that cloud seeding has helped stimulate rainfall, easing pressure on firefighting operations and giving crews on the ground an advantage in controlling fires.
Although cloud seeding can only work when there are existing clouds to seed, targeted operations have shown promise in increasing localized precipitation over critical areas.
Beyond assisting firefighting, the rain induced by cloud seeding also contributes to rewetting peatlands, which is critical for reducing the likelihood of re-ignition after fires have been subdued.
Moist peat soils are less likely to smolder and flare up again, making sustained rainfall a key defensive element in long-term wildfire management.
Challenges and Consideration
While cloud seeding provides a valuable tool in battling wildfires, it is not a standalone solution. The success of cloud seeding depends on the presence of clouds and sufficient atmospheric moisture, meaning it cannot generate rain from clear skies.
Additionally, induced rain may not always be heavy or widespread enough to fully extinguish extensive fires on its own.
Officials continue to combine cloud seeding with traditional firefighting resources such as helicopters for water bombing, ground firefighting crews, patrols to prevent new outbreaks, and public health measures to protect communities affected by haze and smoke.
