Forest fires smother Singapore and Malaysia in haze
Singapore and Malaysia are battling extreme haze problems resulting from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The haze is shrouding some of Singapore’s main tourist attractions, including Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Flyer, and in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur it reached ‘unhealthy’ levels over the weekend.
Singapore’s environment minister Vivian Balakrishnan said he is "deeply concerned that the 113 hotspots detected over Sumatra have led to such a bad haze in Singapore".
Hazy conditions are expected to persist for the next few days.
Indonesia’s government has outlawed land clearing by fire but a lack of law enforcement means the ban is largely ignored.
The haze is said to be the worst since 1997-1998 when it disrupted air travel. In September 1997, a Garuda Airlines flight crashed in thick smog in northern Sumatra in Indonesia, killing all 234 passengers onboard, making it the worst air accident in the country’s history.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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