SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2001
El Nino to blow Indon smoke over SE Asia
SINGAPORE (AP) - If El Nino occurs this year as many meteorologists are predicting, smoke from Indonesian forest fires will blow over Southeast Asia and could mark the return of choking haze in the region, satellite experts said Friday.El Nino is a Pacific Ocean climate pattern that can bring drought and bad weather to Southeast Asia and other regions. "A lot of meteorological experts are saying it's an El Nino year," said Emmanuel Nabet, managing director of Spot Asia, a company that monitors forest fires in Indonesia by satellite.
"All the meteorology forecasts, coupled with the fires, means we are ready to get in the smoke," Nabet said after speaking at a university in Singapore.
Nabet told The Associated Press there were several fires currently burning on the Indonesian island of Sumatra - a bad sign because fires don't usually start until the area's dry season begins in April, he said.
Nabet said the only way to help the situation would be to cut down on using fire as a cheap way to clear land, a common practice in Indonesia.