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Singapore blanketed in haze from Indonesia

Source
Agence France Presse - July 29, 1999

Singapore – Singapore was enveloped Thursday by haze from raging plantation fires largely in the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the meteorological service department said. It said the hazy conditions were expected to prevail over the next two days.

Southwesterly winds carried the smoke from "hotspots" observed in the province of Riau in central Sumatra, said Wong Teo Suan, a spokesman for the meteorological service department. Sumatra lies west of Singapore.

Hotspots were also noted by satellite in the large island of Borneo, in the Indonesian region of Kalimantan, particularly in the seaport of Pontianak, Wong said. Borneo, which is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, lies to the east of Singapore.

"Today the wind has changed in a southwesterly direction, that is why we are seeing some haze," Wong told AFP.

However, Thursday's haze was minor compared to the pollution in 1997 and 1998 when fires in Sumatra and Borneo caused health and transport problems in the region. The environment ministry said the pollution was at "moderate" level.

Wong said a shift of wind direction to the southeast could help improve the situation. The southwesterly winds blow until October.

The meteorological service department and the environment ministry said occasional hazy conditions were expected in the region until October because of the dry spell.

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