Indonesia Awaits Rain Amidst Severe Drought
Several regions are currently being hit by drought. In various parts of Java, numerous rivers and reservoirs have experienced a decrease in water levels. This decline has even led to the phenomenon of long-submerged graves and building remains being revealed.
Due to these conditions, many members of the community feel threatened. The lack of rainfall has left residents wary regarding the supply and availability of water in their wells.
Quoting detikSumbagsel, the Jambi Provincial Government, alongside local residents, held Salat Istisqa (a prayer for rain) to plead for rainfall amidst the long dry season. This effort was undertaken amidst ongoing forest and land fires (karhutla) and haze. The Salat Istisqaa was held at the Garuda Field, Jambi Governor’s Office, on Wednesday morning (2/9/2026), conducted with great hope for rain.
“The implementation of Salat Istisqa is our form of effort to pray to Allah SWT to bring rain immediately. We have been hit by drought for approximately five months, and we are now beginning to feel its impact,” said Jambi Governor Al Haris following the prayer service.
Meanwhile, several points in Indonesia are already experiencing extreme drought due to this year’s prolonged dry season. In Dompu, West Nusa Tenggara, almost 2,000 families are affected by the drought and can only rely on water supplies from the local BPBD (Regional Disaster Management Agency) to meet their daily needs. Similarly, around 33,000 people in Pandeglang, Banten, are experiencing the same situation.
In this condition, the Jakarta Provincial Government has established safeguards to face the drought. As reported by detikNews, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has requested all levels of the Jakarta Provincial Government to increase preparedness in facing the El Niño phenomenon. This is based on BMKG (Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency) forecasts predicting that El Niño will persist until January 2027.
“The Jakarta Provincial Government is holding the ‘Apel Jaga Jakarta’ to anticipate potential fire handling in Jakarta, facing El Niño which is predicted to last until the end of September, and BMKG even predicts it will last until January 2027,” said Pramono.