Indonesia
Archipelago
In the dry season, clouds of coal dust billow through the village, settling on rooftops, yards and furniture, forcing residents to clean their homes almost every day. When the rains come, many roads turn into muddy, waterlogged tracks.
A Muara Maung resident in Lahat regency, South Sumatra, walks across a bridge to her farm on Oct. 19, 2025, as emissions from a nearby coal-fired power plant cloud the sky. (JP/Yulia Safitri)
In South Sumatra's Muara Maung village, coal mining has become an inescapable part of daily life, with expanding operations choking the community's air, land and water leaving residents to grapple with worsening environmental degradation.For 47-year-old Sumhayana, the impacts are impossible to escape. Since several coal mines began operating near the village, flooding has become a recurring reality.
