Hazy Friday

The haze is back! Oh dear. This was the view that greeted us this morning when we'd reached the top of the Jejawi Tower at Chek Jawa. Much of Pulau Tekong is obscured by the thick haze, and we can't even see the hills of Johor beyond.

Singapore, the haze is back!

These two pictures of the Singapore skyline, taken from the same place on two different dates, were submitted by STOMPer Andrew West, who was intrigued by the difference in clarity between them.

While the picture taken on January 23 this year shows a clear view of the Singapore commercial district, the picture taken this morning shows only a hazy blur, with hardly a building in sight.

Data provided by NEA on its website shows that air quality has dipped since the start of the year.

The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) for January 23 registered at 31, or 'good' on the air quality scale.

On May 13, recorded PSI levels rose to 58, a 'moderate' on the air quality scale.

STOMPer Andrew West says:

"Here are two photos, one from this morning (May 14) and one from January, when it was clear.

"What a contrast between the two photos!

"This may make an interesting Story.

"Both taken from a high level at Holland Close (Holland Village)".

Based on the Regional Haze Map over the last few days, there have not been any major hotspots near Singapore. It appears that there have been isolated fires in parts of Sumatra, and some burning is going on in Indochina and Myanmar, but I don't think it is likely that these are major causes behind the haze.

I do wonder if there have been any outbreaks of bushfires locally though, given how warm it has been lately. However, it has also been raining quite a fair bit, so this might reduce the likelihood of bushfires.

Yet another raging bushfire at Tampines

Two STOMPers witnessed the bushfire at the open field at Tampines St 45 today (Mar 7), and says the smoke engulfed the surrounding blocks, making breathing difficult.

Says STOMPer Putri:

"This open field near Tampines St 45 caught fire today (Mar 7), probably because it is so hot and dry.

"The picture was taken across the TPE."

Another STOMPer, Desmond, comments:

"This happened at about 1.45pm today, at the field next to my home.

"The sweltering hot weather must have dried up the vegetation and this resulted in a fire.

"The burning smoke engulfed the surrounding residential buildings, affecting resident's visibility. The smoke made breathing difficult as there was a bad smell and it was very dusty.

"Firefighters came in within a few minutes and started bringing out the hoses from the nearby blocks (which were at least a good 400m away from the fire).

"Policemen were everywhere, trying to get the public to stand back for their own safety.

"The fire was spreading quickly across the dried grass, and yellow smoke soon emerged from the thick haze as the fire grew.

"Fortunately, firefighters managed to slowly put out the blaze after their continuous effort in spraying water all over the blaze.

"I think it took about 30 minutes to extinguish the fire."

STOMP is trying to contact SCDF for more details, so do check back later.

Do check out the video posted on STOMP.

Related posts: More pictures from massive Tampines bushfire (4th March 2010)
Bushfire the size of a football field rages at Tampines (3rd March 2010)
Scorching sun turns Singapore from 'green' city into gold (3rd March 2010)
The haze is back at Pasir Ris (2nd March 2010)
Bush fire rages at Expo area (19th February 2010)

Related articles: Vegetation fire at Tampines took at least 4 hours to put out (4th March 2010) (Mirror)
Large fire at open field in Tampines (4th March 2010) (Mirror)
Sorry kid, it's going to stay hot and dry for a while (2nd March 2010) (Mirror)
Last month the driest Feb in 140 years (1st March 2010) (Mirror)
February 2010 is driest month for Singapore since records began in 1869 (2010) (Mirror)
Driest February ever recorded to date in Singapore (25th February 2010) (Mirror)
February's a dry, hot season in Singapore (19th February 2010) (Mirror)
Smoke in the air due to bush fires (18th February 2010) (Mirror)
71 bush fires in two weeks (18th February 2010) (Mirror)

I used to live in that neighbourhood! I do have fond memories of exploring that area of open land during my upper primary and secondary school days. Afternoons lost in my own little world, chasing after changeable lizards (Calotes versicolor), common Asian toads (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) and banded bullfrogs (Kaloula pulchra), trying not to get snagged in the thickets of giant mimosa (Mimosa pigra). Where I squatted in front of marshy ponds for hours, watching tadpoles and water snails. It was where I saw scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata), little heron (Butorides striatus) and white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus). On many occasions, I saw people flying kites or playing around with remote-controlled helicopters.

If there's any consolation, this patch is just part of a large area of scrub and grassland found in many parts of Tampines and Pasir Ris. While the fauna and flora in this area are interesting in their own right, I don't think any species inhabiting this habitat is under any great risk of extinction. The vegetation will grow back eventually, what matters now is whether or not the original species will be able to recolonise the field from the surrounding patches of scrub, separated by barriers such as apartment buildings, roads and concretised drains and canals. I also hope that such fires don't become a regular occurrence, which would eventually lead to the growth of fire-climax vegetation, in which probably only a small proportion of common and hardy species would be able to survive in the long term.

More pictures from massive Tampines bushfire

Jeremy sent in more pictures of the Tampines Avenue 9 bushfire, which show the fire raging into the night.

A massive bushfire had broken out at a grass field in front of Block 723, Tampines Street 72 yesterday (Mar 3). The blaze was estimated to cover an area the size of a football field.

In an email, Jeremy wrote:

"This is the second time in the recent memory that a bushfire occurred at an empty plot of land in Tampines Avenue 9. The first time it happened was on Jan 30, 2009 at about 6:00 pm.

"The most recent one happened at the same place, possibly around 6:00 pm as well. But the date is now Mar 3, 2010.

"The recent dry spell due to the El Nino effect is probably behind the bushfire.

"And this time my friend who stays in the Eunos area was not the one who woke me up from my afternoon slumber like last year for my original article on STOMP on Jan 31 2009. Instead I rang him up to ask him to look east again."

Related posts: Bushfire the size of a football field rages at Tampines (3rd March 2010)
Scorching sun turns Singapore from 'green' city into gold (3rd March 2010)
The haze is back at Pasir Ris (2nd March 2010)
Bush fire rages at Expo area (19th February 2010)

Related articles: Vegetation fire at Tampines took at least 4 hours to put out (4th March 2010) (Mirror)
Large fire at open field in Tampines (4th March 2010) (Mirror)
Sorry kid, it's going to stay hot and dry for a while (2nd March 2010) (Mirror)
Last month the driest Feb in 140 years (1st March 2010) (Mirror)
February 2010 is driest month for Singapore since records began in 1869 (2010) (Mirror)
Driest February ever recorded to date in Singapore (25th February 2010) (Mirror)
February's a dry, hot season in Singapore (19th February 2010) (Mirror)
Smoke in the air due to bush fires (18th February 2010) (Mirror)
71 bush fires in two weeks (18th February 2010) (Mirror)

Bushfire the size of a football field rages at Tampines

A massive bushfire broke out at a grass field in front of block 723, Tampines Street 72 today (March 3). The bushfire was apparently the size of a football field.

STOMPer Michelle, who witnessed the raging fire, says:

"The fire started at around 6pm.

"As at 8pm the fire hasn't been completely put off, but SCDF officers are at the scene and the fire is under control.

"There is a jam towards Tampines Interchange because of the fire.

"The smoke is quite thick and can be seen from the surrounding blocks.

"I heard that the fire spread to the nearby heavy vehicle carpark, but I do not know whether any vehicles were damaged."

STOMP has contacted SCDF for more information.

Related posts: Scorching sun turns Singapore from 'green' city into gold (3rd March 2010)
The haze is back at Pasir Ris (2nd March 2010)
Bush fire rages at Expo area (19th February 2010)

Related articles: Sorry kid, it's going to stay hot and dry for a while (2nd March 2010) (Mirror)
Last month the driest Feb in 140 years (1st March 2010) (Mirror)
February 2010 is driest month for Singapore since records began in 1869 (2010) (Mirror)
Driest February ever recorded to date in Singapore (25th February 2010) (Mirror)
February's a dry, hot season in Singapore (19th February 2010) (Mirror)
Smoke in the air due to bush fires (18th February 2010) (Mirror)
71 bush fires in two weeks (18th February 2010) (Mirror)

I was on the way home at about 6.30 pm when my bus passed through this stretch of Tampines. I was surprised to see such a large area on fire, and regretted that I was sitting on the other side of the bus, making it pointless to try and take any photos. And even though my bus was air-conditioned, I could still detect the burning smell.

This same area caught fire at the end of January last year.

The haze is back at Pasir Ris

STOMPer eastsider woke up to find the CBD skyline, which was normally visible from his balcony, obscured by the haze. There was also a distinct burning smell.

With less than normal rainfall, more hot days will be coming our way this March. This is a result of the El Nino weather effect, caused by interaction between the Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere.

In the STOMPer's iPhone contribution:

"I woke up this morning and smelled a burning smell in the air reminiscent of the haze.

"Looking out of my balcony, I saw the landscape enveloped in haze.

"The CBD skyline should normally be visible in the distance in this photo."

Related posts: Bush fire rages at Expo area (19th February 2010)

Related articles: Sorry kid, it's going to stay hot and dry for a while (2nd March 2010) (Mirror)
Last month the driest Feb in 140 years (1st March 2010) (Mirror)
February 2010 is driest month for Singapore since records began in 1869 (2010) (Mirror)
Driest February ever recorded to date in Singapore (25th February 2010) (Mirror)
February's a dry, hot season in Singapore (19th February 2010) (Mirror)
Smoke in the air due to bush fires (18th February 2010) (Mirror)
71 bush fires in two weeks (18th February 2010) (Mirror)

Indeed, it was especially hazy in Pasir Ris this morning. I guess the eastern side of Singapore, which is naturally somewhat drier and receives less rainfall than other parts of the island, is more prone to bush fires, given this current dry spell.

The latest 24-hour Pollution Standards Index (PSI) update, which was released only at 4 pm earlier on, shows a PSI of 36 for eastern Singapore. Although it indicates that the air quality is still considered Good, it is still quite a large jump from the previous day's readings, which gave a PSI of 21.

One potential problem I have with the way the PSI is being updated is that it covers a span of 24 hours. However, this might conceal large rises and falls in the PSI within that 24-hour range. For example, if a bush fire started, but was then eventually put out after a short while, the PSI reading might have crossed over into the Moderate range, except that this rise was cancelled out by the low PSI over the rest of the 24 hours. Would 3-hour updates or even hourly updates be preferable?

An example can be seen from this morning, where it was much hazier than usual in Pasir Ris. Yet despite the noticeable decline in air quality, the PSI (which had been obsolete by more than 12 hours) indicated that the air quality was supposed to be Good. For people with potential health problems, knowing the PSI at that point in time can help spare them from a lot of discomfort.

I just hope that they won't be burning any rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia during these few months. That would only make things even worse.

Haze darkens S'pore city view at International Plaza

The beautiful skyline is no longer as STOMPer TKK remembers it to be. Instead, the scenic view is now

The sender, who is leaving his office at International Plaza today, says that he will miss the once clear and sunny view he used to enjoy in the past.

In an email, STOMPer TKK says:

"Today is my last day of work at International Plaza.

"I took a final view from the window of my office. It was hazy.

"I will miss this view.

"Tomorrow will be another bright sunny day and I will be free from the office cubicle to do things that I really like."

So hazy at Sengkang that my eyes hurt

The haze was so bad at Sengkang yesterday (August 6) that STOMPer Hoh's eyes hurt when she went out.

This STOMPer says:

"The haze level was really bad at Sengkang yesterday. I stay in Anchorvale and from my flat I could not even see the opposite flats.

"I think it was worse at Fernvale. I'm not sure which other areas in Singapore were affected.

"Visibility was really poor. It was especially bad in the evening.

"My eyes hurt when I went out and it was very uncomfortable.

"I wonder when the haze will go away as I have to stay indoors because of this."

Sun turns red under effects of the haze

STOMPer Lily sent in this photo of the sun turning red under effects of the haze.

In an email to STOMP today (Aug 7), the STOMPer says:

"I took this picture in the West area at my workplace yesterday evening.

"The sun turned red under the effects of the haze."

The haze is back, fuelled by fires in Sumatra.

Smoke could be seen in large parts of the Island from the Central Business District to Sengkang causing the 24-hour pollution standards index (PSI) to peak at 60 yesterday (Aug 6).

Though still in the moderate range, yesterday's PSI was the highest recorded in Singapore in almost two years, with visibility in the morning ranging from 3km to 6km, and in the afternoon ranging from 5km to 7km.

According to experts, the haze is likely to linger over Singapore for a while, due to the prevailing south-west monsoon season conditions, which typically lasts till late October.

The National Environment Agency said that if the air quality is in the good and moderate range - that is, a PSI reading of 100 or less - there is no need for the public to take any special precautions.

However, doctors warned that people with respiratory conditions could find their symptoms worsening. Asthmatics could be hit especially hard because of the H1N1 epidemic.

Similar stories:
So hazy at Sengkang that my eyes hurt
Is the haze back in Singapore?

Is the haze back in Singapore?

The sky was overcast and the sun appeared as an orange ball and so STOMPer Star Gazer wonders if the haze is back.

In an email to STOMP today (July 13), the STOMPer wrote:

"These pictures were taken at Block 82 Telok Blangah Street 31.

"The sky was overcast and the sun appeared as an orange ball.

"The haze was all around the block and I was wondering if the haze was due to the smoke from the forest fires in Indonesia.

"You can see the NOL Building and Hewlett Packard Building in the background. The scenery gave me a gloomy feeling that the end of the world was approaching."

S'poreans should know that Bukit Batok forest fires not easy to put out

Kudos to the firefighters and personnel handling the forest fires at the Bukit Batok area, because according to STOMPer Ming, they were not easy to put out.

In an email to STOMP today (Feb 19), the STOMPer wrote:

"Great job done by all the firefighters and personnel handling the fire at Bukit Batok forest area under sudden and difficult environment.

"The pictures shows just how extend the fire ravage the trees with such intense ferocity.

"It can be clearly seen that the second day of the fire was much more damaging and difficult to contain.

"Hope this is a good eye-opener for everyone in Singapore that a fire can be very dangerous when it gets out of control."

The STOMPer sent in these pictures of the fire and the aftermath.

Go here for relevant news articles and related Seen on STOMP posts on bushfires in Singapore

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

- We Didn't Start The Fire by Billy Joel

Through the fire and the flames: A collection of news articles and Seen on STOMP posts on bushfires and haze in Singapore

This post will serve as a repository for all news articles and Seen on STOMP posts regarding the current spate of bushfires and hazy conditions in Singapore. Instead of having to manually update and re-publish every fire-related post every time I have a new article, I've decided that it would be much more efficient for me to just update this single post, and link all the relevant posts to this one.

News articles: In case of fire, land buffer can save lives (12th March 2009) (Mirror)
Clear and present danger (24th February 2009) (Mirror)
95% of vegetation fires to date caused by human-related activities (24th February 2009) (Mirror)
Carelessness behind 95% of bush fires (24th February 2009) (Mirror)
Carelessness caused fires (24th February 2009)
Big forest fire in Tampines (22nd February 2009) (Mirror)
3 bush fires in a day (22nd February 2009)
Singapore not affected by haze in Sumatra (22nd February 2009) (Mirror)
Blazing Again (19th February 2009) (Mirror)
Bush fire watch (19th February 2009)
Bukit Batok bush fires keep firemen busy (1st Mirror, 2nd Mirror) (18th February 2009)
S'pore fires hit decade high (18th February 2009)
Haze is back, but blame it on fires in Singapore (17th February 2009) (Mirror)
Record high of vegetation fires in Singapore (17th February 2009) (Mirror)
Dry spell causes bush fires to surge to record numbers (16th February 2009) (Mirror)
S'pore bush fires hit record high (16th February 2009) (Mirror)
Lazy winds, hazy days (16th February 2009)
Smoke's in the air (14th February 2009) (Mirror)
Slight haze in Singapore, but PSI reading within good range (13th February 2009) (Mirror)
Fire razes forested area in Sengkang (10th February 2009) (Mirror)
Dry spell to carry on in Singapore (6th February 2009) (Mirror)
Bush fire at Tampines (31st January 2009)
Singapore: Driest January in 10 years (31st January 2009) (Mirror)
SCDF put out 146 bush fires this month (29th January 2009) (Mirror)

Seen on STOMP: S'poreans should know that Bukit Batok forest fires not easy to put out
Reddish sun in S'pore: Could haze and bush-fires be the cause? (18th February 2009)
Second fire at Bukit Batok captured on video (18th February 2009)
Fire so large that SCDF firemen take turns having dinner on-site (18th February 2009)
Yet another bush-fire at Bukit Batok (17th February 2009)
S'porean concern about Aussie-type fire disaster here (17th February 2009)
Bushfire starts despite earlier rain (17th February 2009)
Bukit Batok bushfire a surreal experience for fire safety engineer (17th February 2009)
"Terrifying to see huge balls of fire in S'pore" (17th February 2009)
Firemen battle hilltop bush-fire in Bukit Batok (16th February 2009)
Haze back in S'pore? Healthy PSI reading, but can still see and smell smoke in air (15th February 2009)
Look at the damage wreaked by S'pore's own bush-fire in Sengkang (12th February 2009)
Tampines bush fire so huge, it can be seen from Eunos (31st January 2009)
Trees on fire at Sungei Tengah (24th January 2009)

Reddish sun in S'pore: Could haze and bush-fires be the cause?

STOMPer Alan captured these photos of what seemed to be a reddish-looking sun from his home in Joo Seng Road at about 8.30am yesterday (Feb 17).

Could the recent bush-fires and haze be the cause of this, he wonders.

He says:

"The recent haze and bush-fires may have caused the sun to turn dark red in the morning and also carries an halo.

"It is a phenomenon you don't see often."

Go here for relevant news articles and related Seen on STOMP posts on bushfires in Singapore

The person who submitted this article is correct in guessing that the haze and smoke from the bushfires is causing this effect.

What we are seeing is a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. In essence, as it travels through the atmosphere, the sun's light is scattered due to the presence of tiny particles in the air. Blue light, which has a shorter wavelength than red light, is scattered much more easily; this is why the sky appears blue during the day, and also explains why the sun takes on a more reddish tinge during sunrise and sunset.

WikiAnswers explains it in layman terms:

White light coming from the Sun contains all colors of light from red to blue. The molecules in Earth's atmosphere do not scatter much of the red light, but they do scatter a significant amount of blue light. This effect causes the blue sky.

These molecules scattering light also cause the Sun to appear redder than it really is. When the Sun is high in the sky the amount of reddening is small. However the Sun will still appear redder from the ground than from space because the atmosphere scatters some of the blue light.

When the Sun is low in the sky, much more of the blue light coming from the Sun is scattered away from the direct path towards our eyes. Hence the Sun will appear very red when it is low in the sky.

[...]

The effect can increase when the Sun sets or rises over a large city. Pollution particles increase the effect by scattering or absorbing more blue light than red light.

Due to the increased amount of particles in the air due to the smoke from bushfires, there is increased scattering of blue light, hence accounting for the sun's reddish tinge. Similarly, volcanic eruptions that throw up lots of dust and ash into the atmosphere can also cause spectacularly red sunsets.

I haven't really paid any attention to the sunrise and sunset lately, but if the sun does indeed look like this in the mornings and evenings, this is the most plausible explanation.

Red Sun, Red Moon

They said someday you'll find
All who love are blind
Oh, when your heart's on fire
You must realise
Smoke gets in your eyes

- Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by The Platters

Second fire at Bukit Batok captured on video

Although the fire that occurred in Bukit Batok on February 16 was put out, another broke out on February 17. STOMPer Geok Cheng took this video of the second fire to show fellow STOMPers the severity of the second bush-fire.

Geok Cheng says:

"Here are some photos and a video of the fire that broke out on February 17 2009, at Bukit Batok around 4.30pm.

"This is the second time a fire broke out in the Bukit Batok forest. The first occurred on February 16 2009.

"Hope these photos are of some use.

"Photos taken from Block 122 Bukit Batok Central."

Do check out the video posted on STOMP.

Go here for relevant news articles and related Seen on STOMP posts on bushfires in Singapore

I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter

- Firestarter by The Prodigy

Fire so large that SCDF firemen take turns having dinner on-site

The bush-fire at Bukit Batok was so large that firemen had to work extra hard and take turns having their dinner on-site to ensure that it was put out, says STOMPer WS.

The fire had been put out earlier on Tuesday morning (February 17) but started again in the afternoon.

This time round, the fire had spread towards the road and caused the Bukit Batok neighbourhood to be covered in soot and smoke.

WS says in an e-mail dated February 17:

"Bukit Batok hilltop fire was put out this morning. At 1pm, at the same spot, the fire started again. This time, it spread out near the road. The whole of Bukit Batok is now smoky and smelly.

"Ashes were all around. Curious people were looking out to the dense smoke.

"The firemen linked all their hoses together so that they can reach the tree top.

"Situation was finally controlled in the later afternoon around 5pm to 6pm. However, the firemen had to take turns to have their dinner at the void deck to ensure fires in all spots are fully put out."

Go here for relevant news articles and related Seen on STOMP posts on bushfires in Singapore

The roof the roof the roof is on fire
We don't need no water let the motherfucker burn
Burn motherfucker burn
Burn motherfucker burn
The roof the roof the roof is on fire

- The Roof Is On Fire by The Grim Reaper

Yet another bush-fire at Bukit Batok

When STOMPer Chua looked out of the window at his Bukit Batok Central flat, he was shocked to be greeted by a cloud of dust and smoke.

A fire had broken out in the forested area nearby and caused a thick cloud of smoke to rise.

The fire, which started before 3:30pm on February 17, had not been put out one and a half hours later.

Chua says:

"I thought they were fogging the area with insecticide at first but when I opened the window I realised that there was a huge fire.

"There is a lot of smoke and the fire is spreading to the other corner.

"I did not see any fire engines until 4:15pm, when a small truck arrived with a few men. They did not seem to be able to handle the fire very well. It didn’t seem like they could put it out.

"Until now, the fire is still spreading.

"My house is covered in soot and dust now."

Related story:
S'poreans concerned about Aussie-type fire disaster here

Go here for relevant news articles and related Seen on STOMP posts on bushfires in Singapore

We on fire
Up in here, it's burning hot
We on fire
Shorty take it off if it get too hot, up in this spot
We on fire
Tear the roof off this motherfucker, light the roof on fire
Nigga what you say
We get loose in this motherfucker, light the roof on fire

- On Fire by Lloyd Banks