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Mapping the haze in South-east Asia

Thick smoke rises as a fire burns in a forest at Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, Indonesia's South Sumatra province on Oct 20, 2015. Photo: Antara Foto via Reuters

Thick smoke rises as a fire burns in a forest at Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, Indonesia's South Sumatra province on Oct 20, 2015. Photo: Antara Foto via Reuters

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Southeast Asia has suffered for years from annual bouts of smog caused by slash-and-burn practices in Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan islands, but governments in the region have failed to address the problem.

The fires have been exacerbated this year by the effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, as a prolonged dry season in Indonesia has parched the top soil, fuelling the flames. The haze has caused neighbouring Singapore and parts of Malaysia to force schools to close and airlines to cancel flights. Although Thailand usually avoids the worst effects of Indonesia’s fires, prevailing winds in recent weeks have driven the smog further north, resulting in the country having the worst polluting levels in a decade.

Here we take a look at how it has affected the region:

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