Manokwari, Jubi – Forest and land fires and drought are affecting Fakfak Regency in West Papua, disrupting school activities in Bomberai District and damaging farmers’ crops in Tomage District.
At Bomberai State Vocational High School 2 (SMK Negri 2 Bomberai), students were forced to attend classes wearing masks after a fire that broke out on Wednesday night (23/9/2026) spread close to the school and continued into Thursday morning.
Andi, a teacher at the vocational school, said classes continued despite smoke from the fire reaching the school.
“Yes, face-to-face classes are still going ahead, but some students are wearing masks,” Andi said on Thursday (24/9/2026).
He said teachers and students had also tried to put out a fire near the school at around 10am local time before classes began.
“We tried to put out the hotspot using whatever equipment we had available,” he said.
Andi said there had been no instructions to change educational activities in the area, including moving classes online or closing schools.
The drought affecting Bomberai and Tomage districts has also dried out farmland.
Sayani, a local farmer in the Kinam area, said residents were facing increasingly difficult conditions.
Dry farmland has prevented crops from growing properly, resulting in little to no harvest.
Sayani said farmers had tried watering their crops manually to keep them alive.
However, limited equipment and the distance to water sources have made it difficult to maintain the effort.
“We cannot keep carrying water every day to water the crops,” the farmer said.
Sayani said the labour and costs involved were not sustainable. Farmers had largely been relying on rain.
Most farmers in the area grow crops such as corn and vegetables, which they sell at local markets in Fakfak.
“The halt in vegetable and corn production has directly hit our livelihoods. Without produce to sell, our daily turnover and income as farmers have fallen sharply,” Sayani said.
Sayani and dozens of other farmers in Kinam Village hope the drought, which has lasted for about three months, will soon end so their farmland can become productive again and their household incomes recover.
Amid the water shortage and forest and land fires, the Fakfak Police distributed clean water to two locations — a Catholic church and Hidayatullah Islamic boarding school.
Fakfak Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Naim Ishak led the water distribution. A total of 13,200 litres of clean water was delivered, with 6,600 litres each going to St Joseph’s Catholic Church and Hidayatullah Islamic Boarding School.
After delivering the water to St Joseph’s Church, the distribution vehicle travelled to West Fakfak.
Naim also went to Hidayatullah Islamic Boarding School in Sekru Village, where another 6,600 litres of clean water was distributed.
The assistance was part of efforts to help residents meet their basic needs amid the ongoing drought.
“The assistance is not only an expression of social concern, but also reflects the presence of the Indonesian National Police among the community, regardless of their background or the place of worship being served,” Naim said.
Fakfak Regent Samaun Dahlan had not responded to Jubi’s requests for comment on the handling of the fires and water crisis. (*)
