Haze from forest fires in Sumatra has spread again to Singapore and Malaysia, an official said Sunday, according to dpa. "Based on Himawari satellite imaging, haze spread to Malaysia and Singapore again though in moderate density, while the whole Kalimantan is shrouded in haze," said Sutopo Purwo Niugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). Indonesia has agreed to accept help from foreign teams to fight the forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. But Nugroho said the prolonged dry season means that not all the hotspots have been extinguished and their numbers keep fluctuating. He said that satellite Terra Aqua imaging taken on Sunday showed there were 1,085 hotspots in Sumatra with the highest concentration in South Sumatra province at 871. Meanwhile, the hotspots in Kalimantan were 212 and Central Kalimantan province had the most at 156. Haze generated from the forest fires in Sumatra has reached hazardous levels for months and spread to neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. It has disrupted flights, increased the number of people suffering from respiratory infections and caused school closures.
