Indonesians choked by forest fire haze pray for rain

Smog from the fire has moved to Malaysia, where schools have been forced shut

Indonesia Forest Fires Motorists ride through a road blanketed by haze from wildfires in Pekanbaru, Riau province, Indonesia | AP

Illegal fires to clear land for farming are raging on Indonesia's Sumatra and Borneo islands, as hundreds of people held a mass prayer for rain in a smoke-filled Indonesian city on Friday, desperately hoping that downpours will extinguish forest fires and wash away the toxic haze covering wide swathes of the country.

Firefighters are battling round the clock through charred forests, and water-bombing helicopters have been deployed to douse the flames.

Smog from the fire has also moved to Malaysia, where some schools have been forced to shut down to protect students from its effects.

A thick blanket of smoke has blanketed Pekanbaru, a provincial capital on Sumatra, leaving the sky dark even at midday and forcing the closure of local schools.

“The Indonesian government has been systematically trying to resolve this to the best of its ability. Not all smog is from Indonesia,” said Indonesia’s environment minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar. Bakar has also accused Malaysia of not being transparent saying the smog affecting Malaysia could have originated from Sarawak, peninsular Malaysia or Indonesian Borneo and demanded that the Malaysian government explain this rationally. 

"I'm praying so that the rain will come immediately and this smog will be gone soon," said retired 57-year-old civil servant Rahmad, who goes by one name.

Around 1,000 of the Pekanbaru's residents held a prayer Friday in an open field, even as a thick, acrid fog drifted around them.

Friday is a holy day in Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim-majority country, where forest fires are an annual problem but have been worsened this year by, particularly dry weather.

International concern has been mounting about the long-term impact of such blazes, as rainforests play a vital role in protecting the planet against global warming.

"The haze really affects me tremendously. I can't breathe or do things outside as I normally do," said elementary school teacher Yulinar, coughing and squinting her bloodshot eyes.

The 45-year-old, who also uses one name, said she hoped she and her students could soon return to their shuttered school. According to scientists, if these annual forest fires continue, exposure to smoke from the forest fires could lead to 36,000 premature deaths a year on average across Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

Around 29 schools would also be closed across the Malaysian border on Friday, officials said.

The fires in Indonesia have sent toxic smoke floating over Malaysia, triggering a diplomatic row. Nearby Singapore has also warned residents to reduce outdoor activities.

Jakarta is struggling to tame the blazes as many burns underground in carbon-rich peat, which has been cleared across vast areas of the country for plantations.