Indonesian province hit by haze

In some areas visibility is down to just a few metres

By Richard Galpin BBC correspondent in Jakarta

Officials in the Indonesian province of central Borneo have taken the unprecedented step of advising all students and civil servants to remain at home due to dangerous levels of pollution caused by forest fires.

The provincial capital, Pelangkaraya, has been worst hit by the smog which has reduced visibility to as little as 10 metres (33 feet).

Satellite data shows the majority of the fires have broken out in areas managed by plantation and logging companies.

A local government spokesman told the BBC the situation was even worse than during the catastrophic fires five years ago which affected the entire region.

The haze in central Borneo has been getting steadily worse after a brief respite last month brought about by some rainfall.

Now the pollution levels are so high the governor has advised all schools and government offices to close down indefinitely.

Smoke hazard

He has also told people to limit outdoor activities and wear masks if leaving their homes.

The main airport in the province has already been closed for weeks and road and river transport has been disrupted. Hospitals are reporting increasing numbers of patients suffering from respiratory illnesses.

Environmentalists are particularly worried about these latest forest fires as this is an El Nino year.

According to the latest forecasts, the annual rains may not begin until December or January, months later than normal.

With the ground so dry the fires have already spread into the extensive peat-land areas of central Borneo, as happened during the huge fires of 1997 and 1998 which left many countries in the region shrouded in haze.

And the smoke caused by peat fires is particularly hazardous to health.

Satellite data shows the majority of the fires have broken out in areas managed by plantation and logging companies.

Although there is supposed to be a ban on using fire to clear land it is still a common practice among big businesses as well as traditional farmers.