(AFP) Malaysia's air quality has deteriorated over the past week, with unhealthy readings in two stations, due to rising hotspots on Indonesia's Sumatra island, the environment department said today.

Yesterday's satellite images showed the number of hotspots in Sumatra, areas showing high heat levels caused by burning, had surged to 617 from only 37 on Friday, an officer with the environment department said.

Thirty-nine hotspots were also detected yesterday in peninsula Malaysia, 46 in the eastern state of Sarawak on Borneo island and 28 in Indonesia's Kalimantan province on Borneo island, she said.

Out of 50 surveillance stations nationwide, the officer said five recorded good air quality, 41 were moderate while two stations - at Kapit in Sarawak and at Klang in the central state of Selangor - were unhealthy.

"Air quality has slightly worsened over the week with more stations recording moderate instead of good air quality, but the situation is still under control. It is nowhere near the situation in 1997/98," she added.

Forest fires

Choking haze, caused by forest fires in Indonesia, enveloped the region in 1997 and 1998 and caused an estimated US$9.3 billion (RM25 billion) in economic losses.

Many of the fires were deliberately set by planters clearing land for cultivation. Malaysia in 1998 banned air pollutant readings from being published amid fears they would scare away tourists. It now only refers to air quality as good, moderate, unhealthy, hazardous or dangerous.

The officer said the department was keeping in touch with its Indonesian counterpart on the fires in Sumatra and strengthening enforcement to prevent local burning.

The Malaysian capital was shrouded in a thin veil of grey last week but the haze lifted over the weekend.

Reports said a thick choking haze drifting from Indonesia had blanketed southern Thailand over the weekend, forcing many fishermen to stay in port due to poor visibility.

The environment department today imposed a total ban on open burning, warning that offenders could be jailed up to five years, fined RM500,000 or both, Bernama news agency said.