Rain Finally Falls on Kalimantan and Sumatra
Rain has finally fallen in Kalimantan and Sumatra amid efforts to extinguish forest and land fires.
Rain fell in Martapura, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan. Hasan Hamdan, head of Bumi Selamat Rescue (Buser) 690, described the emotional moment when the rain finally arrived. Firefighters were still working to put out the blaze, and the rain felt like long-awaited relief.
“This is something to be grateful for, because we have been battling forest and land fires for four months, and it only rained yesterday,” Hasan told detikKalimantan on Monday (26 October 2026).
“This is one small victory for us volunteers: at last, the rain has come to help us put out the fires,” he added, visibly moved.
Martapura resident Devi Farah also confirmed that heavy rain fell for about 20 minutes. She was grateful and hoped it would ease the burden on volunteers and bring some relief to residents who have been affected by haze for months.
“I’m very grateful for this rain. It was extremely heavy. This is the first time it has rained this hard after four months of dry weather,” Devi said.
Rain also fell in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, accompanied by strong winds that brought down a tree.
Antara reported that people had been waiting for rain in Banjarbaru and other parts of South Kalimantan, hoping it would help extinguish forest and land fires and end the haze. The rain fell on Sunday afternoon (25 October 2026).
A large tree fell on Jalan Karang Anyar in Loktabat Utara, North Banjarbaru district, blocking the entire road. Motorists had to find an alternative route to avoid long delays, as the main road was impassable.
Utari Randiana, a forecaster at the Syamsudin Noor Meteorological Station in Banjarmasin, part of the South Kalimantan Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), said several areas of the province, including Banjarbaru, were at risk of moderate to heavy rain, possibly accompanied by lightning and strong winds.
“These conditions are expected to continue until 8.30pm Central Indonesia Time on Sunday,” Utari said, Antara reported on Monday (26 October 2026).
Rain in Sumatra
Rain has also fallen on Sumatra, specifically in South Sumatra. It is expected to help with firefighting, although it remains unclear whether it will be enough to tackle all the fire hotspots.
Ferdian Krisnanto, head of the Ministry of Forestry’s Sumatra Forest Fire Control Office, said the rainfall was welcome news for personnel who have been working to extinguish fires in the field.
“Please pray that the rain has a positive impact,” Ferdian said on Monday (26 October 2026).
According to field reports from the Manggala Agni firefighting teams, rain fell in Tulung Selapan and Pangkalan Lampam in Ogan Komering Ilir Regency. It was light, beginning at 4.30am and continuing into the morning.
Meanwhile, no rain had yet fallen at the fire site in Putak village, Gelumbang district, Muara Enim, where smoke was still visible.