Women Volunteers Battle Worst Borneo Wildfires in a Decade
KETAPANG, Indonesia (Reuters) — The sky over the island of Borneo island is orange and heavy with smoke as a result of the country’s worst wildfires in more than a decade, which have left swathes of forest blackened and many locals suffering from respiratory problems.
Smoke from the worst wildfires in over a decade in Indonesia's Borneo, which have left forests blackened and locals suffering from respiratory issues, hangs heavily in the sky. Farmer Juniarni, 48, lives in Sungai Awan Kiri, West Kalimantan Province, where the once-persistent birdsong has fallen silent – another poignant indication of the fires' environmental toll. "They haven't done anything wrong. Why are they the victims?" she questions, echoing the anguish of her fellow villagers.
These fires, exacerbated by the prolonged drought-inducing El Nino weather pattern, have been raging for an unusually long duration. In response, an all-women firefighting group, "The Power of Mama," comprising over 140 women, including farmers and homemakers, has been formed to combat the inferno. Each day, the women, clad in red protective gear, ride motorcycles to monitor hotspots and extinguish fires, simultaneously educating their neighbors on the dangers of land-clearing by fire for palm oil plantations.
This initiative, Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), was established in 2022, training these women in fire-fighting techniques. For Mita Anggraini, YIARI's supervisor, the women's resolve to protect their forests runs deep. However, their role is limited to controlling smaller fires, as tackling large-scale blazes remains out of their purview.
The women's motivation extends beyond firefighting. Elly Marlina, a 46-year-old volunteer and mother of four, voices her concerns about the severe respiratory problems her children have endured due to the thick smoke. Another volunteer, Irma, 38, a mother of two, laments her land's susceptibility to smoldering underground fires in peat, a risk heightened by the region's arid conditions.
Despite the grim outlook, the women remain hopeful. The scale of the fires this year has surpassed previous years, with over 202,000 hectares scorched in Indonesia alone, an area larger than Tokyo. As the flames consume forests and peatlands, recovering from previous fires, the women's resolve is tested, their future shrouded in uncertainty.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
