You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The authorities in Malaysian Borneo have been trying to seed clouds to counteract the effects of smoke wafting in from neighboring Indonesia.Spraying a saltwater solution during a cloud seeding operation in Sarawak State, Malaysia.Credit...Video by Zunaira SaieedFighting Wildfire Haze With an Airplane and Lots of Salt and WaterThe authorities in Malaysian Borneo have been trying to seed clouds to counteract the effects of smoke wafting in from neighboring Indonesia.Spraying a saltwater solution during a cloud seeding operation in Sarawak State, Malaysia.Credit...Video by Zunaira SaieedListen · 4:58 min By Zunaira SaieedReporting from Kuching, MalaysiaPublished Sept. 9, 2026Updated Sept. 10, 2026, 1:26 a.m. ETAs the smoke started wafting into her corner of Malaysian Borneo from Indonesia, Elaine Sim started wearing a face mask outdoors. Then she bought four air purifiers for her home. Finally, she tried to seal her windows with tape.Wildfires have been raging across Indonesia for weeks and have raised fears of a regional health crisis as the toxic haze has spread into neighboring countries. Outside Indonesia, perhaps the worst affected area is the Malaysian state of Sarawak, where Ms. Sim lives in the capital, Kuching.“The haze is everywhere, like in a horror movie,” she said. “When you walk in hotels and restaurants in Kuching, you can see the haze inside, too.”Last week, the Air Quality Index in Kuching reached 457, according to monitoring company IQAir, a hazardous level that forced the authorities to ask people to limit outdoor activities. They also declared a state of emergency for the town of Serian, near the Indonesian border, which recorded an A.Q.I. of 832. (The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies an AQI reading of 50 or below as “good,” meaning air quality is satisfactory.)In recent days, the Malaysian government has spent the equivalent of more than $100,000 on cloud seeding in an effort to make it rain in parts of Sarawak and improve the air quality.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT