Battling blazes with prayer

Barely visible: A man is silhouetted against wildfire-induced haze blanketing Musi River in Palembang. — AP

AUTHORITIES in South Suma­tra, the province with the highest number of wildfire hot spots, tur­n­ed to spiritual measures as huge blazes in central and western regions scorched wide areas of forests and peatland, creating a choking haze that blanketed some cities in the world’s most popul­ous Muslim-majority country.

The prayer gathering initiative comes as the province faces prolonged dry weather that has heigh­tened the risk of forest and peatland fires.

The latest satellite data from the Environment Ministry show­ed South Sumatra recorded the highest number of hot spots nationwide with 1,429, followed by West Kalimantan with 1,226 and Central Kalimantan with 811.

Forestry Ministry data indica­ted that an area of nearly 940sq km was burned in July alone, including over 20sq km in South Sumatra province.

About 3,000 residents gathered yesterday in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province, to perform a special Islamic prayer for rain, known as “salat istisqa”.

They prayed shoulder to shoulder in the courtyard of the governor’s office as thick smoke shrou­ded roads, buildings and public facilities, reducing visibility and forcing motorists to drive with their headlights on during the day.

“We have done everything we can and worked closely with all relevant parties,” South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru said before the prayer.

“As people of faith, we are also praying to God to send rain so that life can return to normal.”

He also said the public prayer would complement ongoing fire­fighting and drought-mitigation measures and serve as a moment for residents to unite in confron­t­ing the environmental challenges facing the province.

Emergency services have been battling fires driven by an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia and Brunei, according to the National Disaster Manage­ment Agency.

Indonesia is actively intensi­fying weather-modification ope­rations to help firefighters combat wildfires by inducing rainfall through the dispersal of salt par­ticles into suitable clouds, with 30 aircraft for cloud-seeding and water-bombing operations over Kalimantan, and another 22 helicopters covering Sumatra.

Police have arrested 72 people suspected of starting some of the forest and peatland fires, while four companies are under investigation for allegedly using fire to clear land at low cost. — AP