The dry season has arrived in Indonesia and with it what now appears to be an annual blanket of smog spreading out across the region. The pollution comes from man-made fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan to clear land for agriculture, and each of the last three years the smoke has spread from Indonesia to Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. In recent weeks Indonesian schools have closed because of high pollution levels, and officials fear monsoon winds may blow the smoke all the way to the Philippines. Follow local press reports and avoid strenuous outdoor activity when pollution is high.
