Indonesia plans to disperse dry ice from aircraft to fight smog — The Guardian

Indonesia plans to test dispersing dry ice from an aircraft over the city of Palembang in South Sumatra province on Thursday. Authorities hope the method will help reduce smog from large-scale fires and improve air quality and visibility.

As The Guardian reports, a Cessna aircraft is expected to disperse 1.5 tonnes of dry ice. Coordinating Security Minister Dudung Abdurachman said the trial is being conducted on the president's direct instructions. If the approach proves effective, it may also be used in other regions of the country.

Scale of fires and pollution

Since January, nearly 900,000 hectares have burned in Indonesia. This is the worst fire season in more than a decade, exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon and the practice of burning land to grow agricultural crops, including oil palm.

Millions of the country's residents have been exposed to thick smoke for several months. Tens of thousands of people have sought medical care for smog-related respiratory illnesses. Last week, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the government, accusing it of gross negligence.

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Smog reaches neighboring countries

The smoke has spread to Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. Authorities in Timor-Leste said they would close schools nationwide for three days and advised families not to let children go outside or to use respiratory protection. Singapore introduced subsidies for smog-related treatment and began distributing N95 masks to eligible residents.

University of New South Wales wildfire research expert Rick McRae noted that dry ice can provide only temporary and local relief. According to him, weather systems constantly bring in new masses of smoke, so this method will not be a lasting solution.

In Central Kalimantan province, the ISPU air pollution index exceeded 1,200 points on Wednesday — four times the hazardous level of 300 points. Fires in peatlands are the most difficult to extinguish, as they can smolder underground for weeks.