JAKARTA - Smoke haze from forest and brush fires was still blanketing parts of Indonesia's Sumatra island today but was much thinner than on the previous day, officials said.

A meteorology official warned that forest and brush fires which create the haze could worsen as the rainy season is not expected before September.

"This afternoon visibility is about two kilometers," said Tupon, at the meteorology station in Pekanbaru city on Sumatra. Tuesday's visibility was about 400 meters.

"But grass and wells have run dry. The dry spell is likely to last until September and it looks like things are going to get worse, even though it won't be as bad as in 1997," said Tupon.

This week's haze has spread across the Malacca Straits into Malaysia and forced the cancellation or postponement of several flights.

The Pekanbaru airport chief, Sutrisno, said only two flights were delayed early today. He was unsure whether this was due to poor visibility or other reasons.

City authorities on Tuesday handed out 2,000 free facemasks and authorities urged residents not to go outdoors unless necessary.

Haze also dissipated today in Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province on Borneo island, after a smoggy start to the day.

Health problems

Riau province on Sumatra and West Kalimantan are the areas usually hardest hit by the choking haze - an annual dry-season hazard in parts of Indonesia.

Officials blame fires set by large forest and plantation concession-holders, as well as by small farmers, to clear land for cultivation. The practice is illegal but officials find it difficult to enforce the law.

In 1997 and to a lesser extent in 1998, haze from forest fires in Indonesia enveloped parts of Southeast Asia for months, causing serious health problems and traffic hazards.

An official at the forestry ministry's data center, Masyhud, said a satellite image on Tuesday afternoon showed 22 "hot spots" - indicating potential fires - on Sumatra island.

"The haze problem today is not as bad as yesterday. Visibility is getting better," he said.

But officials in Malaysia said haze shrouding parts of the country worsened today, delaying some flights to Indonesia. Malaysian environment officials blame the Indonesian fires.

Education minister Hishamuddin Hussein Onn said he would consider closing some schools if the air quality worsened further. - AFP