Indonesia is testing an unusual new approach to tackle the thick toxic haze from wildfires: dropping dry ice from a plane over the province of South Sumatra. The trial, announced by the coordinating security minister, comes after attempts with cloud seeding, water bombing and army personnel failed to curb the fires.
Dry ice trial under presidential instruction
Minister Dudung Abdurachman was quoted by state news agency Antara as saying: "This trial of dry ice dispersal is being conducted under the president's direct instruction to help tackle the haze in South Sumatra." He added: "We will first observe the results, and if effective, there is a possibility that this method could be implemented in other regions."
Since January, almost 900,000 hectares have been burned Indonesia-wide in the worst fire season in more than a decade, exacerbated by this year's "godzilla" El-Nino and the persistent practice of "slash and burn" to clear land for crops such as palm oil.
Regional impact and health crisis
For months, millions of Indonesians have been subject to thick smoke and an apocalyptic tangerine haze, with criticism mounting of the government's response, including a class action lawsuit filed last week accusing it of "gross negligence". Tens of thousands of people have sought treatment for respiratory illness linked to the haze.
Air quality has also plummeted in neighbouring countries, shuttering schools, grounding flights and driving a spike in respiratory illness. The haze has drifted into Singapore, Malaysia and as far afield as the Philippines. Timor-Leste has said it would shut schools nationwide for three days from Thursday and urged families to keep children indoors or to use "respiratory protection" if going outside.
Singapore rolled out subsidies for haze-related medical treatment starting on Monday, a measure last activated in 2015 when similar blazes occurred. The city-state has also begun distributing N95 masks to eligible residents. In the past week, Singapore was listed among the most polluted cities globally, with Kuala Lumpur at number two.
Experts question effectiveness
On Thursday, a Cessna aircraft will reportedly disperse 1.5 tons of dry ice over the South Sumatran city of Palembang, a move the government hopes will ease the smoke and improve air quality and visibility. The technique was first deployed in the 1940s to promote ice formation in clouds, Bloomberg reported.
But experts say the use of dry ice, or solid carbon dioxide, might only offer local, and limited relief. Rick McRae, an adjunct professor from the University of New South Wales' (UNSW) bushfire research group, said: "It's got some potential for local relief that might work for a while." He noted that weather systems move from east to west, so clearing smoke in one town would not stop more from blowing in. "It's not going to be simple and it's not going to be a permanent fix in any way," he said.
In the Indonesian province of central Kalimantan on Wednesday, the ISPU air pollution index exceeded 1,200 – or four times the "hazardous" level of 300 – environment ministry data showed. Local news footage showed thick haze blanketing the provincial city of Palangka Raya, cutting visibility for motorists to a minimum.
Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto has ordered firefighting efforts to be stepped up, and called for a crackdown on those suspected of starting fires. But the government has struggled to combat the fires, the worst of which occur in peatland areas, can burn for weeks underground, and are difficult to extinguish.
McRae said of the widening regional issue: "As time goes by and climate change kicks in, I think it could become a global problem, not just the fix that one country needs to find. There's a lot of interconnectedness on a global scale."
