Indonesians gather for Islamic rain prayer as wildfires spread across Sumatra and Kalimantan
About 3,000 residents gathered in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province, to perform a special Islamic prayer for rain known as "salat istisqa," praying shoulder to shoulder in the courtyard of the governor's office as thick smoke reduced daytime visibility. Wildfires driven by an intensifying El Niño pattern and a prolonged dry season have scorched wide areas of forest and peatland across Sumatra and Kalimantan, with nearly 940 square kilometers burned in July alone. Dense smoke from the fires has crossed into neighboring Malaysia and Brunei, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency.
Two sources · Thin corroboration
South Sumatra's governor, Herman Deru, organized the Tuesday prayer gathering as the province recorded some of the country's highest concentrations of wildfire hot spots. "We have done everything we can and worked closely with all relevant parties," 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 described the prayer as complementing ongoing firefighting and drought-mitigation measures, and as a moment for residents to unite in confronting the crisis.
The two sources cited different figures from satellite data for the province with the highest number of hot spots nationally. NPR, citing Environment Ministry data, reported South Sumatra led with 1,429 hot spots, followed by West Kalimantan with 1,226 and Central Kalimantan with 811. The Associated Press, also citing Environment Ministry data, reported West Kalimantan led with 3,120, followed by Central Kalimantan with 2,314 and South Sumatra at 1,500 — suggesting the figures reflect different reporting timestamps. Both sources agreed that nearly 940 square kilometers were burned in July alone, including more than 20 square kilometers in South Sumatra.
Indonesian authorities have deployed significant resources to combat the blazes. According to the AP, more than 24,000 firefighters have been deployed across Sumatra and Borneo. Weather-modification operations are underway, with 30 aircraft conducting cloud-seeding and water-bombing over Kalimantan and another 22 helicopters covering Sumatra, dispersing salt particles into suitable clouds to induce rainfall.