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Indonesia to Drop 1.5 Tons Dry Ice to Clear Haze

By Drooid · Oct 16, 2026, 9:57 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Indonesia Drops Dry Ice

Indonesia will drop 1.5 tons of dry ice over Palembang to break atmospheric inversions trapping haze.
Coordinating Minister Dudung Abdurachman said the trial follows President Subianto’s direct instruction.
The technique traces to 1946 when researcher Vincent Schaefer first used dry ice for cloud formation.
Meteorology director Budi Harsoyo explained dry ice cools lower air, disrupting temperature inversions.
UNSW adjunct professor Rick McRae warned the method may provide only brief, local relief.

Summary

Prabowo Orders Wildfire Response

President Prabowo Subianto ordered mobilisation of additional resources to fight wildfires and suspended licences of 26 companies, calling slash-and-burn “ecological terrorism”.
Indigenous groups in Pontianak filed a class-action lawsuit accusing President Subianto of negligence over recurring haze.
Respiratory illness cases rose to 283,270 in seven provinces by Oct 13, more than double September figures.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Singapore will pursue legal action under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

History

Historical Context

1997 Indonesian forest fires generated a haze that engulfed Malaysia and Singapore, leading Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to launch Operation Haze and dispatch firefighters. The crisis prompted ASEAN’s 2002 Transboundary Haze Agreement and Singapore’s 2014 Haze Pollution Act, with Indonesia ratifying the pact that year. Minister Dudung Abdurachman and President Prabowo revive cloud-seeding as Lawrence Wong readies legal action; the fires burned 8 million hectares.

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Indonesia Drops Dry Ice

Indonesia will drop 1.5 tons of dry ice over Palembang to break atmospheric inversions trapping haze.
Coordinating Minister Dudung Abdurachman said the trial follows President Subianto’s direct instruction.
The technique traces to 1946 when researcher Vincent Schaefer first used dry ice for cloud formation.
Meteorology director Budi Harsoyo explained dry ice cools lower air, disrupting temperature inversions.
UNSW adjunct professor Rick McRae warned the method may provide only brief, local relief.

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