Fires rage, haze spreads as Indonesians pray for rain
SURABAYA: Indonesian schoolchildren prayed for rain on Thursday as another firefighter lost his life battling drought-fuelled blazes consuming forests and peatlands and blanketing parts of Southeast Asia in a sickening haze.
Suroboyo: Indonesian students sought divine intervention through prayer on Thursday as more firefighters succumbed to the ravages of drought-induced wildfires engulfing forests and peatlands in Southeast Asia. Since September, blazes have consumed over 1.9 million hectares, a figure the Indonesian government has yet to confirm or deny.
The resultant haze has afflicted hundreds of thousands across Indonesia and extended to Malaysia, Singapore, and East Timor. In East Java, where fires have swept through several regencies and conservation areas including Mount Bromo and Baluran National Park, the governor called on the community to unite in prayer for rain.
Teachers in Surabaya, the capital of East Java, organized prayers at their school, expressing hope for an imminent downpour. In Malang, approximately 250 pupils joined their teachers in prayer at a vocational high school, fervently hoping for relief from the current situation. Extended periods of drought have led to numerous instances of acute respiratory infections in Indonesia.
Indonesia faces recurring fire crises during the dry season, but this year's blazes have proven exceptionally intense, causing illness among hundreds of thousands. The haze has disrupted education in Malaysia and East Timor, and has drifted into Singapore and even the Philippines. Sadly, five firefighters lost their lives in East Java last week, overwhelmed by smoke and flames in Mount Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.
Another firefighter succumbed to illness on Wednesday in South Kalimantan, an Indonesian portion of Borneo. The Mahatir Mohammad Zain Foundation, a disaster relief NGO, noted that the 51-year-old volunteer succumbed to chest tightness while battling a fire in Barito Kuala Regency. His death underscores the perils faced by volunteers in extinguishing forest and land fires.
The crisis has fueled protests against the government's slow response, as well as a legal case against President Prabowo Subianto and other officials in West Kalimantan.
In Jakarta, a dozen demonstrators gathered outside the Chinese embassy on Thursday, demanding solidarity from palm oil, mining, and forestry importers facing criticism over their role in Indonesia's environmental crisis. In Malang, Ahmad Saifuddin joined others in praying for divine intervention, questioning why people were relying solely on logic to resolve the disasters. He asked, "Why don't we try seeking a solution from the heavens instead?"
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
