Singapore takes cleanliness very seriously. The country is famous for strict laws and heavy fines for littering public places.
To make sure its air is clean and to reduce pollution from automobile exhaust, the country taxes its citizens enormously for owning a car! Instead, Singapore invests in an extremely safe and reliable public transportation system.
However, in recent months though, Singapore’s skyline has become hazy. Poor visibility, smog, and high levels of air pollution have become the new normal, sometimes causing schools to be shut down and making it difficult for planes to land.
What could be going on? Forest fires across the border and global weather are to blame. Let's investigate further...
The Haze Explained
The haze in Singapore is the result of forest fires raging in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Every year, to clear land for palm oil plantations, forests are purposely set on fire. This is done often illegally through a process called "slash and burn agriculture" -- where rainforests are frequently burned to clear the way for crops or for grazing animals.
But the fires in Indonesia are unlike most other fires - they are very difficult to extinguish. The peat forests (the soil-like mixture of partly decayed plant material found in wetlands) are too wet to burn quickly. Instead, they tend to smolder resulting in three times as much smoke and air pollution compared to a typical forest fire. The smoldering fires can only be put out by heavy downpours during the rainy season.
This year, the pollution has been particularly bad because of the ongoing El Nino. During El Nino, the warm surface waters of the Pacific Ocean heat the air above it. Warm air rises through the atmosphere and spreads out in the stratosphere, carrying smoke from forest fires.
These winds eventually descend over the tropics. The south-east Asian nations are located in precisely this tropical region. But the descending cold air gets displaced by the warm ocean air, and also gets warm and dries out. As a result, rain-bearing clouds that put out fires don't form.
A Race Against Time
Meanwhile, fire and smoke are threatening the habitat of many endangered species including the orangutans.
Efforts are on to save the animals in the wild and take them to safe locations. Meanwhile, authorities in Singapore are fighting hard with the government of Indonesia to tackle the ongoing pollution hazard. But Indonesia is throwing up its hands and requesting international help to combat the forest fires. They are unable to put out the fires with the meager water resources at their disposal.
Illegal burning of the fragile Indonesian forests has been a matter of concern for many years. However, it had received limited global attention. Things may be different this time around, as the world is waking up to the issue.
Courtesy: NASA, others
