Fires spur Indonesia to trigger rain with "cloud-seeding techniques"

[Brocke]

Beset by haze from hundreds of fires, Indonesia tries to trigger rain

By the CNN Wire Staff
September 14, 2011 -- Updated 0108 GMT (0908 HKT)

    An Indonesian agency says there are more than 1,200 "hot spots" in South Sumatra
    Fires have created thick blankets of haze over parts of Sumatra, and Singapore and Malaysia
    Aircraft are using cloud-seeding techniques in hopes rain will douse fires

(CNN) -- Indonesia began cloud-seeding operations over the island of Sumatra on Monday in an attempt to trigger rain to put out fires creating thick blankets of haze over parts of Sumatra and neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said that three Spanish-built CASA 212-200 aircraft were deployed on Friday to Sumatra. The rain-inducing operations will continue in three specific areas for the next 90 days, Sutopo told CNN.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/09/12/indonesia.fires/index.html