Indonesia Drops Cloud-Seeding as El Niño Drought Kills Rain Clouds

Indonesia abandoned cloud-seeding — dispersing salt into clouds to trigger rain — in August 2026 because no suitable rain-bearing clouds remain. The El Niño-driven drought has erased them, leaving water bombing and ground crews as the only options. Nearly 50,000 personnel are fighting fires across five provinces. El Niño should persist through early 2027, with peak fire risk in August and September.