Indonesia and Malaysia launch joint cloud seeding to combat transboundary haze

Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to share the skies amid a haze crisis that has closed nearly 600 Malaysian schools and erased much of the Kuala Lumpur skyline from view.

The Petronas Twin Towers, usually visible for miles around, have been swallowed by a grey shroud as wildfires that continue to rage across Indonesia’s Sumatra and Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.

Authorities from both countries are coordinating operations along their shared Bornean border, with Malaysia’s environment minister confirming that Jakarta has granted permission for joint cloud-seeding operations to tackle the worsening transboundary haze.

Malaysia’s national disaster management agency and its meteorological department are scheduling work in border areas, with operations to be coordinated by the Indonesian military.

Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup said in a statement on Monday that 16 areas in Malaysia had recorded unhealthy air pollutant index (API) readings as of 10am on August 26.