Fires Abate but Smoke Persists
11/9/97
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Headline: Fires Abate but Smoke Persists
Source: Reuters
Date: 11/9/97
Copyright 1997: Reuters Limited
Copyright 1997: Cable News Network, Inc.
JAKARTA, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Fewer forest and brush
fires were raging in Indonesia at the weekend but
a blanket of smoke persisted over large parts of
Sumatra and Kalimantan, official data showed on
Sunday.
Satellite information collated by the Indonesian
Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal)
showed fewer hotspots, corresponding to fires, in
the key areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan, the
Indonesian side of Borneo island.
Data for Saturday, released on Sunday, showed 10
hotspots on Sumatra as well as one on Kalimantan
along with two on Sulawesi and three on Java
islands.
The previous day's data showed 15 hotspots on
Sumatra and six in Kalimantan.
Satellite pictures showed the pall of smoke from
Sumatra drifting out into the Indian Ocean as the
winds were blowing east to west, keeping the
unhealthy pollution away from neighbouring
Singapore and Malaysia.
Visibility remained worse in Jambi in central
Sumatra and Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan at
around 100 metres (yards) and 500 metres
respectively.
Indonesia's three major airports remained
unaffected with good visibility, while the
regional airports in Jambi, Padang in West
Sumatra, Palembang in South Sumatra and
Palangkaraya all remained closed because of poor
visibility from the smoke.
Smog from the forest fires, many deliberately lit
to clear land for planting, has covered large
areas of Southeast Asia and raised serious health
concerns.