Public Cry Foul Against `Haze In The Backyard'
By M K Anwar

Bandar Seri Begawan - Don't invite the haze, by creating it in our own backyards, fumed angry residents in several calls to the Weekend hotline, yesterday.

Though Brunei remained unaffected by this choking environmental hazard, several locals complained against the indiscriminate open burning going on in several residential areas.

"Nature spares us but we create our own disaster," the caller fumed.

"I know that our country is not affected by the current haze but I believe some kind of control is in order. Personally I think it is useless to enforce a ban on open burning after the haze arrives," reasoned out the angry resident.

Though Malaysia and Indonesia are hit by a choking haze, Brunei has so far escaped this condition. Latest Meteorological Service on its website yesterday stated that the haze conditions in Brunei to be almost insignificant.

49 hotspots caused by wildfire have been reported on the Western part of Borneo and has caused visibility in Pontianak to drop down to 500 metres.

Malaysian authorities yesterday asked schools to halt outdoor activities as haze began to choke part of the country.

According to experts, the southwesterly winds have spared Brunei from the smoky hotspots in Sumatra.

The number of hotspots in Sumatra increased dramatically in the mid June.

The smoke from these hotspots was transported by the southwesterly winds to Peninsular Malaysia and also Singapore.

With the dry spell expected to prevail until early October, unless the forest fires and continuing hotspots are controlled, the haze is predicted to make a comeback.

Though it is a regular occurrence with hot spots frequently discovered in parts of Borneo, Brunei were worst hit by the: disaster in 1997. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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