Thousands pray for rain as wildfires choke South Sumatra with haze

In Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra, roughly 3,000 citizens assembled in the governor’s courtyard to perform the Islamic rain-seeking prayer, salat istisqa, as wildfires in central and western parts of the province generated a dense haze that obscured roads and buildings. The Environment Ministry’s satellite reports indicated the province recorded 1,429 active fire hotspots, the most in the country, while the Forestry Ministry noted that about 20 square kilometers burned in South Sumatra during July.

Governor Herman Deru addressed the crowd, stating that the spiritual appeal would supplement firefighting and drought-relief measures already underway. The National Disaster Management Agency linked the smoke to an intensifying El Niño pattern, and Indonesia has deployed 30 aircraft for cloud-seeding over Kalimantan and 22 helicopters over Sumatra. Police have detained 72 individuals suspected of igniting some of the fires, and investigations are probing four companies for alleged land-clearing burns. The haze has also drifted into neighboring Malaysia and Brunei, prompting regional concern.