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South Sumatra residents pray for rain amid prolonged dry spell
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Illustration of drought (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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mid a prolonged dry season in South Sumatra that has resulted in forest and land fires, Muslims in the province have resorted to performing istisqa (mass prayers) to ask for rainfall.
The mass prayers were held simultaneously on Tuesday in various parts of the province, with local residents, Islamic teachers, civil servants and students participating.
In the province's capital of Palembang, prayers were held in the gubernatorial palace complex, Griya Agung.
South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru raised concerns over the dry season, which he said had severely affected local residents who complained of difficulties in gaining access to clean water, while agricultural land suffered from drought and fires.
"This year's [dry] season is longer [than usual] because of El Nino, a natural phenomenon related to rising water temperatures in the sea. We are praying for this condition not to continue and for the rain to stop coming down," Deru said.
As for land and forest fires, efforts to douse flames were under way both on land and in the air.
The South Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency said it had used 6.68 million liters of water to douse fires in various parts of the province from Aug. 19 to Aug. 26.
