Left panel: relative Fe abundance Z_Fe as a function of the scattering angle θ for the different MCs obtained by using the measured EW and Eq. (3). The horizontal dashed-dotted line represents the average metallicity (Z_Fe = 1.6) inferred for set of MCs. Right panel: line-of-sight displacement plotted against the projected distance d_proj for each MC. The d_los value for the DS1 cloud is a lower limit (d_los ≥ 9.3 pc). The horizontal dashed line represents the plane of Sgr A* at d_los = 0. The dashed-dotted line shows the line d_proj = 2 × d_los. We make the assumption that the clouds are located in the region between the dashed and dashed-dotted lines (see text). The permitted d_los range (in pc) for each cloud is given in the top-right box. Note: the method does not distinguish between whether an individual cloud lies in front or behind the plane of Sgr A* (i.e., at +ve or –ve d_los).