Indonesian authorities and communities are grappling with widespread wildfires fueled by prolonged drought, as fires continue to consume forests and peatlands across the country. The blazes have covered more than 1.99 million hectares in the first nine months of the year, according to deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas, a figure not officially confirmed by the government. The resulting haze has caused respiratory illnesses for hundreds of thousands of Indonesians and spread across Southeast Asia, reaching Malaysia, Singapore, and East Timor.
In East Java province, where fires have damaged several regencies and protected areas including Mount Bromo and Baluran National Park, local leaders have called on residents to unite in prayer for rain. Islamic schools in the region participated in organized prayer sessions seeking relief from the drought. Mohamad Jatim, a teacher at a Surabaya school, described the prayers as a hopeful response grounded in faith amid the environmental crisis. “Many areas are experiencing drought, including fires and so on... Religion offers a way to solve the problem of drought,” he said.
Similarly, in Malang, about 250 students and staff at a vocational high school gathered in prayer. Headmaster Lusia Andriani highlighted the health impacts linked to the ongoing dry conditions, stating, “There have... been many cases of acute respiratory infections in Indonesia, partly because the rain has not fallen for a prolonged period.”
The human toll from the fires remains severe, with a firefighter in South Kalimantan’s Barito Kuala Regency dying on Wednesday. The 51-year-old volunteer reportedly fell ill with chest tightness while combating the blaze. The Mahatir Mohammad Zain Foundation, a disaster relief non-governmental organization, said his death underscores the considerable risks faced by those fighting forest and land fires.
Meanwhile, public concern over the environmental and health crisis has prompted protests in Jakarta, where demonstrators gathered outside the Chinese embassy urging the importers of Indonesian palm oil, mining, and forestry products to show solidarity with the country amid its ongoing disasters.
Residents continue to turn to spiritual avenues as a source of hope amid failed attempts to mitigate the crisis through conventional means. Ahmad Saifuddin, a Malang local, expressed the sentiment that seeking divine intervention offered an alternative to relying solely on logical or technical solutions. “For the past few days, I have been wondering why almost everyone is trying to solve these disasters using logic. Why don’t we try seeking a solution from the heavens instead?” he said.