(AFP) Forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra island have caused a light haze in Kuala Lumpur and several parts of the country, Environment minister Law Hieng Ding said today.

Law said so far 35 hot spots had been spotted in Sumatra and 30 in Sarawak. There was also open burning in Indonesia's Kalimantan province on Borneo.

"We will monitor the situation closely from time to time," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

An officer with the environment department told AFP that 154 hot spots had been detected in Sumatra on Monday but it seemed the number had reduced.

"Whenever there is open burning in Sumatra, the winds which blow in our direction will bring with it the haze," she said. "But there is nothing to fear as this is only a slight haze."

Kuala Lumpur's skyline was still shrouded in a thin veil of grey.

Still manageable

The officer said towns along the west coast of peninsula Malaysia have also been hit.

But air quality of affected areas were at a moderate and manageable level, she added.

The Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Specialised Meteorological Centre in Singapore has predicted a 75 percent chance of drier than normal conditions during the second half of 2001, indicating a potential for some smoke haze.

Choking haze, caused by forest fires in Indonesia, enveloped the region in 1997 and 1998 and caused an estimated RM35 billion in economic losses.

Many of the fires were deliberately set by planters clearing land for cultivation.