146 bush fires put out in Jan

146 bush fires put out in Jan

28 January 2009

Singapore — Bush fires have flared up across Singapore, as the island is in the grip of a dry spell with some areas getting little if any rain so far this month.

Firemen put out 146 bush fires so far this year, compared to just 16 last month, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), who pointed to the prolonged dry spell as the main cause.

Northern parts of the island around Seletar recorded less than 10mm of rainfall in the first two weeks of this month. According to the National Environment Agency (NEA) website, this is between 95 and 100 per cent below the long term average of 244mm.

It is slightly wetter towards the east around Changi, but rainfall patterns are out of the ordinary for this time of the year, when it is common to get frequent afternoon showers and heavy rain lasting up to three days at a stretch.

Although the water level at the MacRitchie Reservoir on Wednesday was a little lower than its peak, for now the national water agency PUB said that it was normal and is not a cause for concern.

24. November 2017/by GFMCadmin