Thick haze from Indonesian forest fires covering parts the country has prompted health authorities to put hospitals on alert for treatment of respiratory complications, an official said Monday.

"The directive was given out last week to ensure that hospitals and private clinics immediately treat patients with respiratory problems," a health ministry spokesman told AFP .

The move is meant as a precautionary measure following government reports that air quality had "badly deteriorated", the official said.

No reports of breathing problems directly linked to the haze have so far been received by the health ministry, he said.

"Health implications have been much worse before," he said when asked if the government would issue health warnings to the general public.

Flight distruptions

The haze, caused by fires in the Indonesian regions of Kalimantan on Borneo island and Sumatra, has also caused disruptions in internal flight services in Sarawak.

"Because of poor visibility, there is definitely the element of delay because flights to the interior are not so technically equipped to handle the weather," said Simon Wong, manager of the state's Miri Airport.

Smaller aircraft servicing the state's rural areas flew at relatively low altitudes and would therefore be affected by the haze, Wong said.

The Department of Environment on Monday reported that six stations in Sarawak and two in the central state of Selangor had "unhealthy" Air Pollutant Index readings, while 34 other stations nationwide recorded "moderate" air quality.

A department spokesman said that satellite images detected a total 982 hotspots - areas showing high levels of heat caused by burning - in Sumatra and Kalimantan on Sunday.

It was a two-fold increase from some 500 hotspots detected Saturday.

"Over the weekend, there was a sharp increase in the number of hotspots, but it seems to have improved today," he said.

Surveillance increased

Rosnani Ibarahim, the department director-general, said the ministry was stepping up surveillance to stop local open burning activities.

"The haze hasn't reached a stage where we advise locals to stop outdoor activities, but we urge the public to refrain from burning or the situation can get worse," she said.

In 1997 and 1998, choking haze caused by forest fires in Indonesia blanketed parts of Southeast Asia for months, causing serious health problems and traffic hazards and disrupting airline schedules.

It also caused an estimated 9.3 billion dollars in economic losses, officials said. AFP