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  Channel NewsAsia, 23 Feb 05
Bush fires may have been caused by human activity
SINGAPORE : Singapore is experiencing its most severe dry spell in nearly 40 years. Geographers told Channel NewsAsia that the amount of rainfall the island received in February will hit a record low, if the rains don't come by the end of the month.

The dry weather has led to a record number of bush fires. More than 15 cases were reported Wednesday afternoon, bringing the overall number of bush fires this year to over 480, which is almost the same as the whole of last year. Since the start of the year, Singapore's Civil Defence officers have fought 10 to 15 bush fires a day. On the eve of the lunar new year, the SCDF attended to 35 cases.

And while the dry spell is a significant reason for these fires, the SCDF says spontaneous ignition is highly unlikely. James Tan, Commissioner at SCDF said: "For example, people smoke and accidentally or indiscriminately throw away the cigarette butt in the open area or in the wooded area and cause a fire. Also because of the hot weather, light shining onto broken glassees can serve as a magnifying glass which gathers all the heat."

Nine hotspots have been identified on the island where fires have occurred more than 10 times. Punggol, in the North-east for example, has had 27 fires, the highest number so far. The other areas include Lim Chu Kang, Woodlands, Sengkang, Choa Chu Kang, Tampines, Bedok North, Yishun and Fort Road. Nearly 2,000 firemen and more than 400 fire-fighting vehicles have been deployed so far to fight the fires. In a Fort Road fire, SCDF even had to lay a 1.5km relay pod to convey water from the sea to the fire.

The SCDF is now patrolling the hotspots everyday while the Singapore Land Authority is working at top speed to clear the thick undergrowth of unused state land. In the long run, SCDF will also lay fire hydrants in remote areas such as Lim Chu Kang.

Geographers say as global warming continues, these dry conditions are likely to worsen over the next few years. Associate Professor Matthias Roth from National University of Singapore's Department of Geography said: "This dry period is not limited to Singapore. If you look at the regional map, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos are also suffering drought conditions right now. The global warming will most probably continue the effect on the region here. El Nino conditions will continue to happen. It doesn't just go in one direction where we see more dry conditions. It also goes in the other direction, we can have more wet conditions and more floodings."

Green groups, such as Singapore's Nature Society, have raised concerns on the loss of biodiversity from the raging bush fires.

If the rains do not come by the end of the month, geographers say February will be a record month for the lowest rainfall received. The last time Singapore experienced such a severe dry spell was in 1968.

There were also more fires last year compared to the previous year, from 4,540 to 4,916 in 2003 - that's up 8.3% Fires at non-residential premises rose 10% to 681 cases. Of these, 134 were electrical fires, an increase of nearly 29%. Fires at residential premises were up 6% to 3,210. The number of fires at private condominiums went up by 60% to 77 cases, while the number of fires at schools nearly doubled, up 92% to 25 cases. There were a total of 131 casualties in last year's fires, an increase of 79% from the previous year.

SCDF also responded to a record high of 82,870 emergency ambulance service calls last year, up 4.8% from 2003. Total ambulance calls have been on a continuous rise over the years. - CNA
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