(AFP) A thick haze from fires in Indonesia forced Malaysia Airlines to cancel more than 70 flights on Borneo island over the past week, an airport official said today.

An environment department spokeswoman said the situation was expected to get worse.

Satellites today detected 652 hotspots indicating fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan, she said.

This was up from fewer than 45 yesterday when rains brought a brief respite from the haze which, apart from grounding planes, pushes air pollution to unhealthy levels.

"The increasing number of hotspots has caused the air quality in the region to deteriorate and we expect it to deteriorate further in the near future," the spokeswoman said.

Economic losses

The fires are attributed mainly to forest clearance by farmers. In 1997 and 1998 haze enveloped parts of southeast Asia for months, causing serious health and transport hazards and an estimated US$9.3 billion in economic losses.

National carrier Malaysian Airlines has cancelled more than 70 flights within Sarawak because of the haze since last Wednesday, said the manager of the state's Miri Airport, Simon Wong.

Sarawak Meteorological Department head Loh Eng Kee said slight rain expected at the end of the week might help clear the skies, but he was doubtful that it would bring long-term relief.

"If the burning continues, the little bit of rain that is expected will not help much," he said.