This year’s Indonesian forest fires set to surpass 1997 levels

Herry Purnomo, a haze expert at the Centre for International Forestry Research, said yesterday that the dry season was not expected to peak in Sumatra island until next month. “It’s not over yet,” he said, adding that the economic cost of the “horrendous” fires would be as bad as 1997. If the dry conditions continue, the region could be enveloped in even denser smog.