Smoky Singapore Pays A High Price

As the first signs of new haze appear over this usually pristine city-state, a study released Saturday says Singapore lost $61 million in tourism and other revenues because of smoky skies last year.

The haze, mostly from forest fires in Indonesia, socked in much of Southeast Asia last year, jolting economies already crippled by currency and other market woes.

In Singapore, the number of tourists fell dramatically in October 1997, the height of the haze, accounting for the bulk of the losses, according to the study by the Economy and the Environment Program for Southeast Asia.

The country’s national carriers, Singapore Airlines and Silk Air, had to cancel and delay flights because of poor visibility. Lost work and medical costs also contributed to the losses.

This year, hundreds of fires have been burning for weeks in Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of Borneo, but prevailing winds had spared Singapore.

However, easterly gusts have begun to blow smoke from nearby Sumatran fires towards Singapore, where smoky, gray clouds enveloped the city’s financial district on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Environment Minister Yeo Cheow Toong told the Singapore Parliament last week that there is little chance the region can escape a longer and more intense blanket of haze this year.