Air Force Seeds 42 Tons of Salt to Induce Rain in South Sumatra

Jakarta: A total of 42 tons of salt was seeded into the skies over South Sumatra on Thursday, October 29, 2026, to induce artificial rain and speed up efforts to extinguish forest and land fires.

The operation was carried out using transport aircraft from the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

"The seeding was carried out using a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 32nd Air Squadron of Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang, as well as two BNPB aircraft," said Indonesian Air Force Information Service Head Air Commodore Feri Yunaldi, as quoted by Antara on Friday, October 30, 2026.

The salt seeding process began with the aircraft taking off from Sri Mulyono Herlambang Air Force Base in Palembang. The aircraft then flew over the areas affected by the forest and land fires.

Once they reached the designated position, crew members activated special equipment to disperse the salt into the sky. The salt reacts on contact with clouds, producing artificial rain.

Feri added that the Air Force had been carrying out these efforts for several days, and they had proven successful.

Over the past few days, rain has fallen in Palembang and several other areas of South Sumatra.

Feri assured that the weather modification operation (OMC) will continue, to ensure that all the fire hotspots in South Sumatra are extinguished.


(Yaumil Tianri Rahmi)