Finally, some much needed rain. You can’t really see it in the photo because it was a steady drizzle. Still, it rained from 11:00 in the morning till 3:00 in the afternoon giving Singapore a respite from the haze that has been plaguing us for about a month now.
The following pictures show a, before and after, the rain.
This was taken last week. Where I lived – in the Western central of the island, it is not so bad. The Southern side of the island is worst hit.
This was taken this morning.
Every year, at this time of the year, South East Asia is covered in haze. Singapore is still not as badly affected. Malaysia was so badly affected schools had to be closed. The good news is that there is more rain on the way for the next few days. With some luck, the air might clear for a while, while we look forward to the North-Easterly wind which will carry the haze the other way.
The haze is largely due to the fires in Indonesia. Plantations use the slash and burn method which is cheaper and faster to clear land for palm oil and timber production. Sometimes, the haze is so bad, flights had to be cancelled. Tourism suffered a setback as tourists stayed away. More respiratory illness were reported during this period. Children and the elderly who are most prone to the unhealthy air, were forced to stay indoors.
And it is not just humans who are affected. Due to the lack of sunlight, the farms here are reporting that vegetables are stunted and there will be a ten percent drop in production. Fish farms reported that they have to pump oxygen into the water, because fishes are dying because of the lack of oxygen in the water. The wildlifes of the forests are also casualties of the fires - especially the Borneo Orangutans . They are now an endangered species. All in all, the haze is very bad and disruptive.
The following video was about the haze in 2015. It was by far the worst, due to the extra dry season caused by the El Nino effect.
This video is about the haze in Singapore in 2015. I take the opportunity to show you our homes. Over 80% of Singaporeans live in government built flats.
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