Schoolchildren prayed for rain as another firefighter lost his life battling drought-fuelled blazes consuming forests and peatlands and blanketing parts of South-East Asia in a sickening haze.
Wildfires have burned more than 1.9 million ha in the nine months to September, according to deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas – a figure the government has not confirmed or denied.
The resulting haze has sickened hundreds of thousands in Indonesia and reached as far as Malaysia, Singapore and Timor-Leste.
In East Java, where fires have ravaged several regencies and conservation areas including Mount Bromo and the Baluran National Park, the governor urged communities to come together to “pray for rain”.
Islamic schools in the province complied on Thursday, looking to God for relief.
“Many areas are experiencing drought, including fires and so on ... Religion offers a way to solve the problem of drought,” teacher Mohamad Jatim said of prayers organised at his school in Surabaya, the capital of East Java.
“As people of faith, we are of course optimistic.”
In Malang, also in the province, some 250 pupils bowed in prayer with their teachers at a vocational high school.
“We hope that t his... will bring rain soon,” said headmaster Lusia Andriani.
“There have ... been many cases of acute respiratory infections in Indonesia, partly because the rain has not fallen for a prolonged period.”
Five firefighters died in East Java last week after they were overwhelmed by smoke and flames in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.
Another firefighter died on Wednesday in South Kalimantan on Indonesia’s part of Borneo island.
The Mahatir Mohammad Zain Foundation, a disaster relief NGO, said the 51-year-old volunteer passed away after falling ill with chest tightness while helping fight a fire in the Barito Kuala Regency.
His death was “a reminder of the risks volunteers face in handling forest and land fires”, said the foundation.
The crisis has sparked protests against the government’s perceived slow response, as well as a court case against President Prabowo Subianto and other officials in West Kalimantan.
In the capital Jakarta, a dozen demonstrators gathered outside the Chinese embassy on Thursday demanding importers of Indonesian palm oil, mining and forestry products stand in “solidarity” with Indonesia.
Back in Malang, resident Ahmad Saifuddin joined others in praying for divine intervention.
“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. — AFP
Residents collect clean water from a public water distribution point as the area is shrouded in haze from wildfires in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia, October 22, 2026. REUTERS/Arief Rahman Septian Prathama REFILE - QUALITY REPEAT
TOPSHOT - This picture taken on October 22, 2026 shows resident Sudarsono, accompanied by his wife, receiving a mobile oxygen service brought by volunteers of the Central Kalimantan Forest and Land Fire Smoke Response Coalition (RAKAT) at his home in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. Toxic haze has covered parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region. (Photo by REINA / AFP)
A cyclist crosses a road as haze from wildfires shrouds the area in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia, October 23, 2026. REUTERS/Arief Rahman Septian Prathama TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
This picture taken on October 22, 2026 shows a volunteer from the Central Kalimantan Forest and Land Fire Smoke Response Coalition (RAKAT) providing mobile oxygen relief to a firefighter while battling forest and land fires in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. Toxic haze has covered parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region. (Photo by REINA / AFP)
University students take part in a protest against the government's handling of haze and respiratory illnesses caused by months of forest fires, in Pontianak, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, October 21, 2026. REUTERS/Victor Fidelis Sentosa
Shared hope: People praying for rain amid a prolonged El Nino-induced drought at a field in Surabaya, East Java province. — AFP
