Indonesian area badly hit by fires sees brief respite as heavy rain falls

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People enjoying the clearer skies while eating dinner at a restaurant near Kahayan river in Palangkaraya, in Central Kalimantan, on Oct 29, 2015. PHOTO: AFP
Rain falls on a road in Indonesia's Ogan Komering Ilir regency in South Sumatra on Thu (Oct 29). The regency, one of the areas badly hit by the country's forest fires, saw a brief spell of heavy rain, bringing a respite from the choking haze. - ST PHOTO: WAHYUDI SOERIAATMADJA

Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, South Sumatra (INDONESIA) - Heavy rain fell on Thursday evening (Oct 29) on the Ogan Komering Ilir regency, one of the areas badly hit by forest fires in Indonesia's South Sumatra province, bringing a brief respite from the choking haze that has spread across South-east Asia.

South Sumatra had heavy rain that lasted between 15-20 minuteas at 7pm on Thursday after three months of no rain at all.

The authorities have stepped up cloud seeding operations to induce rain in the past few days as clouds have started to form.

Weather forecasters predict more clouds to form from Nov 8 onwards.

Cloud seeding crews have found South Sumatra the most difficult province to induce rain as it has had the least number of clouds.

Other parts of Sumatra and many parts of Kalimantan have earlier started to rain.

wahyudis@sph.com.sg


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