PALEMBANG, Indonesia | About 3,000 residents gathered in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Tuesday to pray for rain as widespread forest and peatland fires blanketed parts of Indonesia in thick haze.
The gathering featured salat istisqa, a special Islamic prayer for rain, as prolonged dry weather and an intensifying El Niño pattern continue to fuel fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan. Visibility in parts of South Sumatra has deteriorated sharply, forcing motorists to use headlights even during the day.
South Sumatra currently has the country’s highest number of wildfire hotspots, with 1,429 detected by satellite, followed by West Kalimantan with 1,226 and Central Kalimantan with 811, according to Indonesia’s Environment Ministry. Nearly 940 square kilometers of land burned in July alone, including more than 20 square kilometers in South Sumatra.
South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru said the prayer was intended to complement, not replace, firefighting efforts. Authorities are using water-bombing aircraft, ground crews and cloud-seeding operations in an attempt to contain the fires and bring relief to affected communities.
Indonesia has significantly expanded its emergency response as the fire season worsens. More than 24,000 firefighters have been deployed, while 52 aircraft are being used for firefighting, surveillance and weather modification operations, according to the Associated Press.
The crisis is also becoming a regional problem. Smoke from Indonesian fires has crossed into neighboring Malaysia and Brunei, prompting concerns over hazardous air pollution. Malaysia has received permission from Indonesia to conduct cloud-seeding operations inside Indonesian airspace as both countries work to reduce the haze.
In Malaysia’s Sarawak state, nearly 600 schools have been closed because of deteriorating air quality, affecting about 200,000 students, according to the Associated Press.
Authorities are also investigating whether some fires were deliberately started to clear land. Indonesian police have arrested 72 people suspected of starting forest and peatland fires and are investigating 89 cases. Four companies in West Kalimantan are also under scrutiny.
The fires are being intensified by El Niño, which has brought hotter and drier conditions. Indonesia’s weather agency warned in July that the current El Niño could persist into early 2027, raising concerns that dry conditions and fire risks could continue for months.
Indonesia has faced recurring wildfire and haze emergencies, particularly during strong El Niño events. The devastating 2015 fires burned millions of hectares and sent smoke across Southeast Asia, prompting years of stronger government efforts to prevent illegal burning and improve peatland management.
The current crisis comes despite those measures and highlights the difficulty of controlling fires in Indonesia’s vast peatlands, where fires can burn below the surface and remain difficult to extinguish.
For residents of fire-hit communities, however, the immediate need is rain. As firefighters battle the flames and authorities attempt to create rainfall through cloud seeding, thousands of Indonesians are also turning to prayer in the hope that sustained rain will finally clear the smoke.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
