Government Says Wildfire Smoke Has Not Yet Affected Neighboring Countries

The Indonesian government asserts that smoke from ongoing forest and land fires has not yet caused significant issues for neighboring countries, including Singapore and Malaysia. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, Djamari Chaniago, stated that efforts are being made to prevent the smoke from spreading across borders.

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I think that's the term, our smoke can go anywhere. So we are working as hard as possible to ensure it does not affect others. That's what we are doing, whether it's to neighboring countries or any country close to us, the smoke will definitely be there. But as of today, there is none, and we are guarding it very carefully so that it doesn't happen.

"We are working as hard as possible to ensure it does not affect others," Djamari said, acknowledging that smoke can travel widely. He confirmed that, as of Monday, there have been no reports of smoke interference in neighboring nations, and the government is diligently working to maintain this situation.

The fires have already impacted over 107,000 hectares of land in Indonesia by August, a figure that has doubled compared to the entirety of 2023. The severe conditions are being worsened by the El Nino phenomenon, which is expected to persist until early October. This climate pattern is accelerating the process of combating the fires.

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But there is one requirement that we must face, which is finding rain clouds, so to speak. As long as we cannot find rain clouds, we cannot make artificial rain.

While weather modification operations, such as inducing artificial rain, are considered effective, they depend on the availability of rain-bearing clouds. Djamari noted that there are a few days in the coming week, up to August 18, where the possibility of such clouds exists, which could provide much-needed relief.

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These weeks until August 18, there are three or four days where there is a possibility of rain clouds. If that happens, it will be a gift given to us, perhaps before August 17, hopefully, rain clouds will appear.