Hail falls in Muara Enim

Hail falls in Muara Enim

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Hail fell for the first time in
recorded history in Muara Enim district, some 180 kilometers from
Palembang, on Tuesday.

The hailstones started falling at 5:30 p.m. local time and
lasted for only around five minutes.

"The weather had been fair and it had been a little hotter
than usual before the hail started. Most of the people ran
indoors when the small balls of ice, about the size of your
fingertip, started to fall. Many drivers had to stop their
vehicles afraid that the hailstones would break their
windshields," Jalili, a local said.

Arinafril, an environment expert from Sriwijaya University,
Palembang, said that the hail was caused by environmental
changes.

"The environment in the province has changed. The amount of
carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in the air is increasing,"
Arinafril said, blaming this on air pollution and uncontrolled
logging.(33)