Indonesia began operational trials this week to disperse thick wildfire haze using dry ice technology, as the nation faces its most severe fire season in over a decade. The fires have affected at least 202,000 hectares of land as of August 18, impacting air quality across Southeast Asia.

The prolonged wildfires and resulting toxic haze pose significant public health risks and disrupt daily life across affected regions, including flight operations. The severity of this year's fires, intensified by a strong "super-El Nino" effect, highlights the urgent need for effective haze mitigation strategies.

What the records show

Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) launched a pilot project to disperse dry ice by plane over South Sumatra province. This method differs from traditional cloud seeding, which aims to induce rain, by directly targeting smoke layers to reduce pollution concentration. Berton S.P. Panjaitan, acting head of BNPB's data, information, and communication center, explained that dry ice granules disrupt atmospheric inversion layers that trap smoke near the ground, allowing it to disperse upward. The fires, active since at least January 2026, have been particularly intense in Kalimantan, Sumatra, and South Papua. As of September 7, 2026, Indonesian fires had emitted 76 million tonnes of carbon. Six provinces, Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan, are prioritized for fire response.

The timeline

Wildfires have been burning in Indonesia since at least January 2026, escalating sharply from mid-July. By August 18, the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry reported 202,000 hectares burned. The dry ice dispersal trials commenced on Thursday, October 15, 2026, in South Sumatra, with operations scheduled to continue until October 18, 2026. A Cessna Caravan aircraft conducted two sorties on Thursday, releasing 1,600 kilograms of dry ice over Palembang's Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport. A two-day operation from October 15 to October 16 deployed a total of 2.4 tonnes of dry ice across three flights.

What changed and for whom

The initial dry ice operations showed immediate improvements in visibility. Ground visibility around Palembang's Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport widened from 650 meters to 2,800 meters following the first operations. During the two-day operation from October 15-16, visibility at the airport improved from 1,000 meters to as much as 3,000 meters. This improvement directly benefits air traffic and local residents affected by hazardous air quality.

What the subject has said publicly

Berton S.P. Panjaitan stated that the dry ice seeding method is a "specialized atmospheric modification technique designed to reduce pollution concentrations and dense smoke, without requiring the presence of rain clouds". He noted that the trials are scheduled to continue through October 18, 2026, after which BNPB will evaluate the operation for potential deployment in other fire-stricken provinces. Officials hope the operation will improve visibility from about 1km to 5km or more in smoke-affected areas.

What we could not confirm

It is unclear from the available information if the observed improvements in visibility were solely due to the dry ice dispersal or if other weather factors contributed. The long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this experimental dry ice dispersal method compared to other haze mitigation strategies have not been fully assessed. The specific criteria BNPB will use to evaluate the success of the trials and determine broader deployment remain unstated.