MonsoonMaiden

Caused by Cyclone 03B (Hudhud) http://mashable.com/2014/10/16/india-cyclone-hudhud-nepal/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfYzBmdmFmODUzdDR1djkxOCJ9

I might add that if you want meals on the day that you arrive, you have to let them know beforehand. We usually go to Strawberry Park Hotel nearby for lunch and dinner if we happen to forget about this.

Hi, sorry for the late reply ... yes we encountered the same problem but we just booked an extra room to solve it, since it ended up costing about the same that way. Hope that helps!

Here is a video showing the waterspout spinning a small ship around.

The Straits Times May 26, 2007 A towering sight off the east coast By Andrea Ong THOUSANDS of people from the city centre to Changi were transfixed yesterday afternoon as a large water spout appeared off the east coast. The water funnel rose majestically from the sea, and sent people scrambling for their cameras and cellphones. In fact, the water spout broke all previous records for reader reaction at The Straits Times' online portal Stomp, with 150 SMSes, MMSes and e-mails streaming in within 10 minutes. In all, Stomp received more than 500 images and videos from readers, who used various terms to describe the phenomenon: a tornado, cyclone, hurricane and even 'a finger of God'. The spout was large enough to be spotted from Marina Bay, Shenton Way, Kallang, Bedok, the East Coast and even at Changi. Staff at Equinox Restaurant - atop the 226m-tall Swissotel The Stamford hotel - were amazed by its size. Its manager, Mr Mutto Kawary, 30, said the huge column seemed like it was more than twice the hotel's height. The National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement that the spout appeared at about 2.30pm off Marine Parade and lasted about 30 minutes. Mr Benjamin Li, 24, said he saw an aircraft in its vicinity and feared for the plane's safety. The account executive was in his 31st-storey office in Springleaf Tower in Anson Road. 'Everyone went quiet,' he said. The plane emerged unscathed. Water spouts appear when a type of cloud, cumuliform, forms during thunderstorms, creating low-pressure pockets. A column of water is then sucked up towards the base of the cloud. The NEA said water spouts are common in tropical waters and there are usually one or two sightings off Singapore in a year. The last spout was seen in August last year. Spouts seem to dissipate fairly quickly. While they can pose a threat to small boats in the water, they usually weaken and vanish when they come nearer to shore.

Hi, for those interested, I have updated my waterspout entry with a radar image of the thunderstorm producing the waterspout. Here is a series of radar images of the squall line that affected the island on 30 April, which our Finnish forecaster was referring to (see my earlier post on 20 May). The gust front is quite distinct. We had an unusually large number of squall lines on consecutive days this April. April is the transition period between our two monsoons (northeast monsoon and southwest monsoon). We normally get the squall lines during the southwest monsoon period, but we can also get them at other times of the year, whenever our winds change to westerlies/southwesterlies. I must apologise for the quality of the radar images - they've been showing a lot of noise/interference. I think we should consider upgrading our radar soon, it's getting on in age ...

Thanks.

We had a flurry of calls from the police, civil defence and the public today, because a distinct waterspout was sighted off the southeastern coast of the island. Our radar showed that the weather system producing it was just a small thunderstorm. Which goes to show that you don't need a large and impressive thunderstorm to produce an impressive waterspout. What is as amazing as the waterspout is the speed at which news travels nowadays. Practically everyone on this island has a cellphone with a camera in it, and photos were soon being sent to our office and the media. An hour later the local online news websites I checked (Channel Newsasia and the Straits Times) both featured the phenomenon. I managed to get this nice series of photos from a colleague, which seems to show the waterspout dissipating.

I was amused by the following email from a gentleman from Finland...he certainly is very enthusiastic - I find meteorology interesting, but I'm not sure I would carry a windmeter around like he does! Will post some radar images of the squall line he mentioned when I have the time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello! I am a forecaster from Finnish Met. Institute. I got a chance to visit Singapore second time 24-30.4.2007. I traveled with my brother who was also last year visiting Singapore. Few reasons I wanted to contact you: 1) Possibility to visit your forecast office in Changi Airport in the future, 2) weather in Singapore during our stay, 3) special events during our stay 1) It would be a great honour to visit your forecasting office, maybe during next visit. The place is not best one if considered just after arrival (12-15 hours of flying from Helsinki) with all the luggage and immigration prosedures. On the other hand, paying a visit in the middle of the stay would mean to take a cab or MRT to Changi. In fact we traveled from Raffles Place to Changi via MRT. Would it be possible to pay a visit? I would contact weeks before time of the visit. I just would be interested of your day-to-day routines, forecasting models, effect of El Nino-La Nina to climate... 2) Year before (late April 2006) the weather was relatively dry with 3-4 days without any rain. Temperatures were also many times above 30 C. This time it was a little different story. We stayed one night longer but still it rained every single day (8 days a row). Temperatures has hard time reach 30 C. Typically it rained during night or in the morning and the cloud deck didn't vanish until the afternoon hours. It must have rained 120-150 mm locally during this period of our stay. Does shift from weak El Nino to near neutral in ENSO during December06, January-February07 has an impact? 3) I would like get little more info of these two events: On the nights 29th and 30th (3-4 AM) strong thunderstorm and strong wind keep us awake. What triggers strong nightly thunderstorms in Singapore/Malesiya area? Radiation cooling on the top of the cirrus? How many lightning strikes (cloud to ground) strong storms produce usually? I noticed that local people doesn't care a lot even when lightning strikes rumbles very near. Some tall skyscrapers may take few strikes? This 30th April nightly event was even more bizzar. Usually in the tropics no strong winds are observed even with thunder. Last year I measured with my portable windmeter of 13 m/s gusts from the 28th floor of Swissotel the Stamford. This time we were on the same side (baywye) but on the 51th floor (120-130 m AGL). At 3 AM 30.4.2007 strong haueling wind woke us. It was raining heavily but no thunder was heard. I did not go to balcony because of the lightning risk. The wind was blowing pretty hard about 10-15 min. I would estimate that the gusts were near 15 m/s. We even sceared some clothes drying on the balcony floor could lift up. Of course our position was over 100 m above sea level, but I think there was strong gusts even on the ground level. What was behind this event? Downdrafts? How strong can winds be in strong thunderstorms? Ps. In our opinion Singapore is by far the best country we have visited. Clean, hospitality and everything. Growing traffic and Casinos built may be some conserns in the future. XXX forecaster, Finnish Meteorological Institute Helsinki, Finland

May 15, 2007 The sun rises on S'pore's solar industry Landmark buildings may go solar; NUS in talks on research, teaching centre By Jessica Cheam THE solar industry is shaping up as a sunrise one. Landmark buildings - and there are so many on this sun-drenched island - may soon sport solar panels that do double duty as roofs. Solar-energy architects here are pushing for more than just solar panels slapped atop buildings to turn sunlight into electricity: They want to make what are called photovoltaic panels an intrinsic part of the structure and design of buildings like MRT stations. The architecture department of the National University of Singapore (NUS) is now in talks with the Economic Development Board (EDB) to set up a research and teaching centre to promote the concept. Details of the Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV) Centre have not been finalised, but it is likely to be the first architecture-driven BIPV centre in Asia, said Assistant Professor Stephen Wittkopf of NUS. The Straits Times understands that the centre, likely to be run by NUS, will also offer specialised programmes for students and eventually, for professionals, to get a qualification in BIPV. BIPV could be the next big thing here, given that National Research Foundation chairman Tony Tan recently declared clean energy - and especially solar energy - as a likely major engine of Singapore's growth by 2015. Singapore's thrust into clean energy received an infusion of $170 million from the Government recently as part of a larger $350 million fund set aside for the Republic's green-energy drive. Prof Wittkopf said that, with Singapore buildings being chock-a-block and the island's location on the sun belt, it made sense to explore this technology. Research on 'solar architecture' is already under way. NUS' architecture department has been looking into how feasible it will be to apply this technology to selected buildings like Ang Mo Kio MRT station, the Environment Building in Scotts Road and the Poh Ern Shih Temple in Pasir Panjang. How efficient is BIPV? It is estimated that a system comprising 2,900 sq m of solar panels - the size of almost half a football field - can generate enough electricity to power about 100 three-room Housing Board flats. This is the reckoning of Ms Huang Yi Xiang, 25, who is working towards a master's degree in architecture at NUS. She designed a 280 kilowatt-peak system for the Ang Mo Kio MRT station. A kilowatt-peak is a measure of the amount of electricity produced under defined conditions. Developing manpower and expertise in the technology is crucial if it is to take off here, stressed Prof Wittkopf. He hopes the BIPV centre will do its bit to groom local talent for the solar industry. He said: 'Seeing is believing. If people see these panels around them, it creates public awareness and acceptance, which will help create a future demand, and bring prices down to a competitive level.' Price is a major dampener on the adoption of solar technology, and this is where the Government can step in, suggested Mr Christophe Inglin, who chairs the Renewable Energy Committee of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore. He added that BIPV was especially appropriate in Singapore, which cannot spare land for solar plants. EDB said it was unable to comment further on the BIPV Centre but confirmed that it was 'in talks with NUS to raise the level of R&D in the area of clean energy'. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) also confirmed that it was in discussion with EDB and NUS and would release more details on the showcase project soon.

Singaporeans experienced two rounds of tremors in the space of two hours on Tuesday, following two earthquakes in Padang, Indonesia. Singapore's Meteorological Services Division said the first tremors were felt at about 11.50am after an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck Padang on the island of Sumatra. The epicentre was 50 kilometres north-northeast of Padang and some 430 kilometres south-west of Singapore. The second round of tremors occurred around 1.50pm after another earthquake, also measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, struck Padang. The Police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received nearly 1,000 calls from the public reporting tremors after the two quakes. The tremors were felt in many parts of Singapore and in some 236 buildings. Most of the buildings were in Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Toa Payoh, Woodlands, Serangoon, Sengkang and CBD areas like Robinson Road and Shenton Way. Callers to the MediaCorp News Hotline reported tremors were also felt at Beach Road and Choa Chu Kang. Of those affected, 131 were HDB buildings, 95 commercial buildings and 10 private residences. Witnesses said some tall buildings in the central business district swayed slightly. Several buildings, like the Concourse, Capital Square and Centennial Tower in the city, and even Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Clementi, were evacuated. Police said there were no reports of injuries from the tremors in Singapore. Office worker Nicholas Wong said he and his colleagues were at their office shortly before lunchtime when they felt the building shaking. "We grabbed our bags and just evacuated," he told 93.8 Live radio station. "Everyone was panicking. One of my colleagues was crying because she had never felt such an effect before. We were all rushing out of the building." But public relations executive Gavin Liow, 23, said he and his colleagues took it calmly. "I thought, what the hell was it? You don't expect such things to happen," he told AFP. Danny Tan Ming Xiong, 24, said he and his colleagues also felt the tremors. "We were kind of freaked (the) first time. My colleagues and I thought we were giddy. Everyone started asking each other if we felt it, then realised the building was shaking," he told AFP. "My company made the decision to get out of the building. We went down 40 storeys by stairs." A spokesman for Saint Andrews Junior College said the first tremor disrupted lessons and students were dismissed after the second one "to pre-empt further interruptions, and in the students' interests and safety." Another office worker told Channel NewsAsia he saw people screaming as they went out. Others felt no tremors at all but got swept along by the general reaction. "I didn't feel anything when one of my colleagues called me to evacuate," said South African Bulelwa Makina, 24. "This is my first time feeling a tremor in Singapore but because I have been here for a while, I do know that Singapore does get tremors from other countries so I wasn't shocked," she told AFP. - CNA/ir

Well it seems that the rainfall this December has been exceptionally heavy this year. Maybe I've been too busy to notice, but it didn't seem any worse to me than 2001 when Typhoon Vamei hit Singapore ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Straits Times Forum Dec 28, 2006 Flood-prone areas cut from 3,200ha to 130ha PUB, the national water agency, thanks Mr Thomas Lee Zhi Zhi for his letter, 'Civil Service should be more proactive' (ST, Dec 27). On Dec 19, Singapore was hit by the third-highest rainfall recorded since 1931. The 24-hour rainfall recorded was 366mm. This exceeds the average amount of 284 mm recorded for the month of December in previous years. The highest rainfall recorded in one day was 512 mm in 1978, while the second-highest rainfall recorded was 467mm in 1969. The floods took several days to subside and thousands of people were affected. Since then, the drainage system in Singapore has been improved and the flood-prone areas were effectively reduced from 3,200ha to 130ha. New projects, such as the Marina Barrage, are some of the proactive steps that we have been taking to further decrease the flood-prone areas. Although heavy rainfall was expected this period, the rainfall on Dec 19 was exceptionally high. Only two locations, Olive/Joan Road and Upper Thomson/Mandai Road, had prolonged flooding for about a day as they are both low-lying areas. The junction of Olive Road and Joan Road lies in the Caldecott Valley, which is between 1.5m and 3m below the level of the main road. While these low-lying areas flood occasionally, this is the first time that the waters overflowed onto the roads and affected traffic on Upper Thomson Road and the junction of Olive Road and Joan Road. The Thomson nurseries are slated for redevelopment in the long term, which will include raising the ground level and building bigger drains. Meanwhile, PUB will continue to monitor the area and take action to help alleviate flooding. PUB works closely with other agencies - the National Environment Agency on weather and Traffic Police on road conditions. The public is welcome to give feedback to our 24-hour call centre, PUB-One, on 1800-284 6600. Yap Kheng Guan Director, Drainage PUB

And I was wondering why the net was so slow. I'd received a dozen SMS alerts on the Taiwan quake, but didn't take much notice because it was so far away ... we're more concerned with quakes around the Sumatra region. Who would think that a quake in Taiwan would still affect us! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 28, 2006, 0.00 am (Singapore time) Home users and businesses cut off from websites abroad THOUSANDS of home users and companies here found themselves cut off from the Internet on Wednesday morning, after several undersea telecommunications cables were damaged in the Taiwan earthquake. In one of the most extensive disruptions here in years, IDD calls to Taiwan as well as two cable TV channels here were also affected. Internet users who tried to go online early in the morning found they could not access overseas websites and sometimes failed to send or receive e-mail. Access to websites based here, like the Singapore Government's, were not affected, as the traffic did not have to be routed overseas. The problem began to ease in the afternoon, when the telecoms traffic was diverted to other cables unaffected by the earthquake. By then, however, the breakdown had caused widespread disruption for companies that relied on the Net for business, including big firms with extensive telecoms links. Both SingTel and StarHub were inundated with calls from customers. SingTel, which co-owns three of the damaged cables as part of a consortium, said work was under way to repair the cables.A StarHub spokesman said Internet users can expect to face slow traffic for at least a few days. Transmission of two of StarHub's cable TV channels - Hallmark and TV5Monde - was also disrupted because the images are delivered over the affected cables to Singapore. Meanwhile, IDD calls made to Taiwan by SingTel, StarHub and MobileOne customers could not be completed for several hours until evening. At SunPage, IDD calls to the United States, Japan and Taiwan were affected, though a spokesman said the problem had been fixed by 6pm, with the exception of calls to Taiwan. The downtime also affected news agencies Reuters and Bloomberg, which provide live financial information to markets in the region. Bloomberg's wire services in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and in parts of India were disrupted. The business news agency could not say when services would be fully restored. At stockbrokers UOB Kay Hian, online trading was hit. Customers trying to trade shares online had difficulty logging on to its website and also could not view stock charts. The problem caught many people here by surprise. Even though it was spotted late on Tuesday night, shortly after the first reports of the powerful Taiwan quake, the disruption became clear only on Wednesday morning when many people went online. Consultant Steven Ng, 32, said: 'The problem became better in the evening, but it was still on and off when I tried going to Google.' The last time users here faced a similar problem was in May last year, when an undersea cable between Singapore and the Philippines was cut. Only StarHub users were affected then.

Hello, P What's with the ape??? :huh: The joys of childhood, indeed. I always enjoy your reminisces about Singapore, keep 'em coming. I haven't had the time to look around the forum for a while ... but that is a lot of water! I'm not exactly having a good Christmas - the children are sick. Yes, the joys of childhood. Anyway hope you're having a good one too, and all the best for the coming year. MM :blush:

Dec 20, 2006 24 hours of rain mayhem Floods and landslides hit island Fallen trees hold up traffic SINGAPORE was lashed by the third-largest deluge of rain in recorded history yesterday, causing heavy flooding in parts of the island, bringing down trees and triggering landslides. The rain was most intense over the northern and central parts of the island, where flooding affected at least four locations. Vehicles were diverted from several traffic junctions, which had been rendered impassable by the rising waters. Off Olive Road, the water was waist-deep, submerging nurseries along Thomson Road and paralysing cars, vans and lorries. According to the Public Utilities Board (PUB), there was 'spillage' at the nearby MacRitchie Reservoir and at Upper Seletar Reservoir. Landslides were reported in two places: along Mandai Road and Bukit Batok West Avenue 2. High water was not the only reason for the traffic woes. A tree fell along Alexandra Road opposite Ikea, blocking three lanes. On Monday night, a tall tree had toppled and smashed through the windows of four flats at a housing block in Joo Seng Road and also damaging a concrete window ledge. Yesterday, Marine Parade Town Council said it was unsure whether the tree had been struck by lightning or had fallen due to strong winds during the thunderstorm. It is deciding whether to remove three other trees on the same slope. Aside from the havoc and damage to property, at press time there were no official reports of any deaths or injuries resulting from the rain. The only accidents so far have been minor, resulting from mishaps such as people falling into submerged drains. The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it had been called in to rescue three employees from an office building along Upper Thomson Road yesterday afternoon, after the flood prevented them from opening a main gate. Firefighters had to cut a hole in the side fence to let them out. PUB said yesterday's rainfall was the third-highest recorded in Singapore in the last 75 years. Over a 20-hour period until 8 pm, the highest total rainfall was 345mm, recorded in Yio Chu Kang. This figure far surpasses the entire monthly average for December, which is 284.4mm. The highest rainfall recorded in Singapore over 24 hours was 512.4mm in 1978, which resulted in the worst flooding in recent history. The second highest was 467mm, in 1969. The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the heavy rain was caused by the north-east monsoon, which started in early December. During the season, there are sudden surges in the north-east winds, which carry a lot of moisture. They usually last two to seven days. When heavy rain coincides with high tide, flash floods can result in low-lying areas. The water level in drains and canals becomes so high that the water cannot be drained off quickly enough, causing floods to occur. This is what happened at a kampung in low-lying Lorong Buangkok yesterday. Water started rising around the wooden home of 60-year-old housewife Habsah Rohe at around dawn. She frantically took her carpets off the floor and dumped her laundry on her bed. Within two hours, the water was up to her knees. 'What a back-breaking task scooping water out of the house,' she said with a sigh. She may have to get used to it. Wet weather with occasional heavy showers is expected for the rest of the week. The NEA's meteorological services division says the wet spell is expected to improve gradually.

Dec 15, 2006 New public buildings to go green from 2007 Private sector urged to follow suit; Government offers incentives IT IS goodbye to chilly offices with sweater-clad workers and hello to high-tech air-conditioning, waterless urinals and solar power - as Singapore's buildings gear up to 'go green'. From next year, all new public buildings and those undergoing major retrofitting have to earn the environment-friendly 'Green Mark' - proof that they are energy- and water-efficient, with good indoor environments. All new Housing Board flats will have the Green Mark. But not all upgrading HDB blocks have to earn the certification, as the buildings' physical constraints may prevent compliance. The public sector is taking the lead in embracing green building technology, Minister of State (National Development) Grace Fu said yesterday as she announced the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) Green Building Masterplan. Ms Fu urged the private sector to follow suit. She backed the call by pledging $70 million in incentives to encourage developers to embrace sustainable development and the industry to step up research and development efforts. The BCA's Green Mark scheme, launched last January, rates buildings for their environmental impact and performance. It takes into account energy and water efficiency, indoor environment quality, building management and environmental innovation. Green buildings are also good for the bottom line. 'Studies in the US have shown that water savings of up to 30 per cent, and energy savings of 20 to 30 per cent are possible,' said Ms Fu. BCA chief executive John Keung said this initiative was a critical milestone for Singapore and hoped the incentives would encourage more green buildings, as increased demand will create more competition and prices for materials and services will fall. 'We want Singapore to know we are very serious about this,' he said. 'Our buildings are a major consumer of energy and the greatest generator of waste. As a small built-up country, sustainability is even more important.' Developers can draw cash incentives of up to $3 million per project from the $20 million Green Building Incentive Scheme. The amounts depend on the level of a building's Green Mark rating. A Gold rating is given to buildings that score between 70 and 79 points in the BCA assessment, Gold Plus for 80 to 84 and the highest Platinum for 85 to 100 points. In addition, Singapore-based companies and individuals can obtain grants from the $50 million MND fund for R&D of green technologies for the building industry. Currently, 34 buildings have Green Mark certification. Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is one of four public buildings that obtained the Platinum rating. TTSH's green innovations - like sensors that turn down air-cons when it rains - have saved it $3 million a year in power bills. Private properties like City Developments' The Sail@Marina Bay and St Regis Hotel & Residences, which have features like solar heating for swimming pools, have obtained the Gold and Gold Plus awards respectively. CDL's general manager for projects, Mr Eddie Wong, felt the government offer to defray some of the additional costs 'will help tip over some developers sitting on the fence'. Smaller developers also welcomed the move. Hong How Corporation chief executive Daniel Teo said he had been looking into green buildings but had been deterred by the initial development costs, which are usually 3-6 per cent more than regular buildings. Singapore Environment Council executive director Howard Shaw said it was commendable that the public sector had committed itself to a deadline. But he said Singaporeans also needed to be informed about the benefits of going green. 'The more educated Singaporeans are, the more they will respect the environment,' he said. Dr Keung agreed that public education was crucial: 'Only when there's a consumer-driven demand will the industry respond.' BCA will also embark on campaigns and public education early next year to drive home the message. It hopes Singapore has 200 more green buildings in the next three years.

Well, the haze situation has improved. But I've been too busy moving house to worry a lot about it ... has been madness, trying to unpack with a baby that cries frantically the minute you put her down and wants to be carried all the time. She refuses to sleep unless she's lying on top of me as well (wakes the minute I put her in the cot). Looks like I'm not going to be doing any blogging for a while ...

Found this on someone else's website : Every time we go out we see it, we breathe it That is how we know it goes on. Far across the distance And spaces it's drifted And we know the haze will go on Near, far, wherever we are We can see that the haze just goes on Once more we close all our doors But it still seeps inside And it's useless to have aircon. Asthma comes just one time And lasts for a lifetime And never lets go till we're gone The haze should blow to Java SBY & Jusuf Kalla Then they'll know just what's going on ... It's here, that's just what we fear And we know that the haze will go on It'll stay forever this way till the northeast monsoon comes till then, it'll go on and on. Mood : amused

Meant to post this earlier, but all the bluster about the haze overtook me. I've always wanted to own an environmentally-friendly car; looks like that wish may be realised in the near future. However, at present the cost of hybrid cars is still beyond my pocket.

Satellite pictures yesterday clearly showed the haze wafting in from Kalimantan. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ChannelNewsAsia has devoted an entire section to the haze. One viewer sent in this rather nice photo of the moon : The haze gave last night's moon an atmospheric orange cast as seen here beside one of the office buildings in the CBD. – Photo from Stuart Clyne Meanwhile, the problems looks no closer to being solved. Bother these politicians. The Straits Times Oct 17, 2006 Indonesians close ranks By Indonesia Bureau Chief, Azhar Ghani JAKARTA - AS EXTERNAL pressure mounts on Indonesia to deal with the haze caused by land-clearing fires, local critics appear to have closed ranks behind the flag. Observers say the turning point seems to have been President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's apology last Wednesday to Singapore and Malaysia for the recurring problem. Many critics have now fallen back on nationalist arguments, alleging that countries complaining about the haze have also been found wanting when it comes to cross-border issues. The local media, which had earlier lambasted the government for not doing enough to stop the haze from spreading, has shifted its focus to how Jakarta is doing its best to solve the problem. Observers also note how major dailies are persisting in apportioning some of the blame to Malaysia - allegedly a big buyer of illegal timber from Indonesia - even though State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar has said that most of the culprits are suspected to be Indonesians. While there is little new about accusations against Malaysia, Singapore is also now in the dock. Editorials in two dailies say that Singapore expects Indonesia to act fast when something affects the Republic adversely, but dithers when the positions are reversed. Last Thursday, business daily Bisnis Indonesia's editorial dwelt on the letter that Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had sent Dr Yudhoyono to express his disappointment over the issue. Mr Lee had said that Indonesia's handling of the haze problem could have an effect on investor confidence in the country and on Asean's credibility. While the editorial acknowledged that Indonesia was in the wrong and suggested that help from others should be accepted, it also said Mr Lee was effectively dictating what Indonesia should be doing. It added that Singapore was not ready to sign an extradition treaty with Indonesia and that the Republic also harboured suspects in corruption cases wanted by Jakarta. Indonesia has, for nearly a decade, been seeking an extradition treaty with Singapore. The prevailing view in Indonesia is that corrupt businessmen and politicians usually hide - and park their assets - in Singapore. Sunday's editorial in the daily Koran Tempo took a similar line, and suggested that there was nothing wrong in linking the two issues. It said: 'If Singapore says it had no intention of inviting rich Indonesians, especially those with ill-gotten gains, to its shores, we can also say that we did not intend to send the haze there. Blame it on the wind. Yes, this may be childish diplomacy, but who knows, it might just work.' And Sunday also saw Vice-President Jusuf Kalla saying that countries complaining about the haze should think about the oxygen that Indonesia's forests produce. International relations analyst Bantarto Bandoro felt that Jakarta's defensive posture was understandable but said that it did not mean the real problem had been forgotten. He said: 'Indonesians will not lose sight of the real issue and won't hold back if they still see that the government has not done much to improve a situation that has made Indonesia look bad.''

Honestly, I don't know if the haze should be blamed for this ...

This is what the sun looked like outside my window this morning, through the haze : The haze is still dominating the news ... lots of articles every day, radio DJ keeps giving a PSI update every 20 minutes, & there are colourful new graphics as well. Guess our Director-General is having sleepless nights - D said he came over to the operations office at least 10 times the other day, no surprise what with the Perm Sec, Minister & people from MEWR all bugging him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oct 15, 2006 Air quality back to unhealthy level By Nur Dianah Suhaimi & Tracy Sua THICK haze shrouded the island for the second Saturday running yesterday, leaving many residents frustrated at yet another spoiled weekend. Yesterday morning the haze hovered around the moderate range, but from midday onwards conditions steadily deteriorated as southeasterly winds drove smoke from Kalimantan over Singapore, sending the PSI level soaring to a high of 116 at 10pm. A reading above 100 is considered unhealthy. And with the wind direction not forecast to change for at least the next 24 hours, weathermen said the haze is likely to stay in the unhealthy range for much of today as well. The smoky air affected several outdoor events yesterday evening. At Tampines East Community Club last night, a joint Mid-Autumn, Deepavali and Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration had to be cut short because of the worsening conditions. In Kaki Bukit, a Chinese opera performance was moved indoors to the community centre. For some Singaporeans, it could mean another weekend cooped up at home. IT consultant Nora Juradi said: 'The haze was so bad last weekend that I didn't even leave my house to buy food for breaking fast. I called for home delivery.' The 30-year-old said she would consider having another meal delivered to her doorstep today. An outing to Geylang Serai last night was ruined for Mr Richard Lim and his family. They started making their way home after just half an hour there because the bad air quality was starting to affect them. 'The haze is giving me a running nose,' said Mr Lim, 42, a sales manager. Engineer Henry Neo, 31, was upset that the haze wrecked his weekend plans. 'I was supposed to go house hunting tomorrow but it looks like I have to put it off. The haze problem has been around for many years and to us it is a helpless situation. I think only international pressure will help to solve this problem,' he added. Despite the bad air quality, people were eating and drinking outdoors in Orchard Road. The Hari Raya bazaar in Geylang Serai was teeming with shoppers. Secretary Madam Linda Ramly, 29, who was spotted outside the Orchard Road MRT station with her nine-month-old son in a pram, said: 'Life has to go on. It is not something that we can do anything about unless you choose not to go outdoors.' Five clinics around the island told The Sunday Times they had not seen any increase in patients with haze-related ailments so far. At government level, fresh attempts to tackle the root causes of the problem are under way. Yesterday, the Minister for Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, said a special ministerial steering committee would be finalised at the Asean environment ministers meeting in Cebu next month to push for a solution to the problem. 'Having this steering committee will help us impress upon the various affected countries and our partners to do a bit more. We have put in place a lot of programmes...but Indonesia has also admitted that the measures so far have been inadequate.'

Writing a weather book, that is. This was published in 2003 but I only just chanced upon it while browsing through Select Books, a local book website. It goes without saying that I ordered it straight away. Am looking forward to reading it. As I mentioned before, I still hope Singapore will one day have its own little pocket guide book on weather for the public.

Oct 12, 2006 Wind shifts make predictions hard: NEA Weather forecast is tricky in the tropics where patterns are weak By Arti Mulchand WHY is the crystal ball so hazy, one might ask. It would be better if the weatherman could say in advance if haze levels were going to go up or down. But the fact is that the light and constantly changing winds, characteristic at this time of the year, make it hard to predict what will happen, said the National Environment Agency (NEA). The region is experiencing the tail end of the south-west monsoon, and will soon enter the 'inter-monsoon' season, so the winds are weak - five knots or less, compared to the usual 10 to 15 knots - and variable. 'Even a change in 20 degrees in the wind direction could make a huge difference in terms of which part of South-east Asia would be affected,'' said Mr Lam Keng Gaik, NEA's chief meteorologist. The winds are expected to continue shifting until later this month. That could also explain why some of NEA's predictions have not always been spot-on. On Friday, for instance, NEA had said the Pollution Standards Index (PSI) was unlikely to go beyond 100. The next day, it hit 150. The wind is one of two key factors that determine how clear the skies will be. The other is the hot spots at the source - south Sumatra, Jambi and the Riau Islands. In any case, weather predictions are 'never 100 per cent' accurate, Mr Lam said. On average, weather conditions in the tropics can be 'meaningfully predicted' - which means with 70 to 80 per cent accuracy - for one to three days. Forecasting is usually based on a combination of observation - looking at the actual burning and weather systems that are building - and predictions made by forecasters and computer 'models'. For wind direction, for instance, these 'models' work by taking a snapshot of current airflow around the world to project what could happen the next day or the day after - based on the state of the atmosphere and taking into account the amount of energy. Another problem is that slight changes in weak winds are picked up less easily than big ones, so errors could result. And while technological advances have made predictions more reliable and accurate than they were, say, 10 years ago, being in the tropics presents challenges, said the NEA. 'The weather systems in the tropics are weaker and smaller. The winds, for example, are generally lighter, and the thunderstorms are smaller in size, and small changes could slip through the observation net. 'That is why reliability of predictions is reduced to two to three days, not a week like in colder latitudes,'' Mr Lam explained. There is also currently a 'weak' El Nino effect, he said. El Nino is the weather phenomenon that sparked the 1997 haze, and could cause dry weather in Sumatra and Borneo. According to Associate Professor David Higgins, from the Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore, that could mean less rain than usual. Most haze watchers are banking on the anticipated wet weather to help extinguish some of the fires. Drier conditions could also spark natural forest fires, warned Dr Rajashekar Bala, an air quality specialist from NUS' Faculty of Engineering. The widespread occurrence of peat in parts of Indonesia, including south Sumatra and Kalimantan, makes the situation worse since peat easily catches fire. Yesterday, satellite images detected 183 hot spots in Jambi and South Sumatra, and 637 in Borneo. The 24-hour PSI stayed in the moderate range, at 71. While it cleared up slightly in the morning, it deteriorated again in the afternoon when the prevailing winds changed from south-easterly to south-westerly. Rain over Sumatra yesterday morning also helped extinguish some of the fires, it added. Still, the NEA said the dense smoke which remains over central and south Sumatra, together with winds that are not in Singapore's favour, will mean hazy conditions are likely to continue today.

Well, we still have some way to go before biofuels are used in Singapore. But at least this is a beginning. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Straits Times Oct 9, 2006 From DIY biodiesel to slick new venture By Leong Chan Teik IF ALL cars in Singapore ran on diesel, some motorists here might discover a new hobby: making their own fuel. Mr Kom Mam Sun, 32, hit on the idea two years ago and it turned his life around. A former insolvency practitioner who used to deal with bankrupt companies, he started out making enough biodiesel to keep his Nissan truck running. That led him to start a small production outfit and sell to contractors. He is now working on plans for a plant elsewhere in the region. Singapore's first biodiesel plant is being built on petrochemicals hub Jurong Island at a cost of around US$20 million (S$31 million), and will start operating in six months or so. The Economic Development Board says there are other projects in the pipeline, but it is not able to say more just yet. Biodiesel has been gaining attention, not only because it is environmentally safe and low-polluting, but also because it can be made from such renewable raw materials as animal fats or vegetable oils, and even used cooking oil. It is usually mixed with petroleum-based diesel for use in vehicles. With many Internet websites showing how, do-it-yourself biodiesel has become a mini-craze with some motorists in the United States, among other countries. All it takes is a stock of used cooking oil, chemicals and equipment available from hardware stores. It's not rocket science. Large-scale commercial production looks likely to take off in and around Singapore, given the easy access to the region's abundant supply of palm oil. Some Singapore companies are planning biodiesel ventures in Malaysia and Indonesia, which together produce 80 per cent of the world's supply of palm oil. Biodiesel is largely unfamiliar to people here, but it is not a recent discovery. Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, for one, began experimenting with biodiesel more than 20 years ago and has a car that runs on it. More recently, it has gained attention and popularity as an alternative fuel source, not least because of the skyrocketing price of crude oil, from which diesel and petrol are derived. Prices soared from around US$20 a barrel in the late 1990s to as high as US$78 in July this year, but have settled at around US$60. For DIY biodiesel maker Mr Kom, high fossil oil prices provided a push to bigger things, and a career switch to being an entrepreneur. He raised $600,000 from investors, including government agency Spring Singapore, to build a plant in Tuas. Completed in June this year, it can produce up to 1,500 tonnes of biodiesel a month. Its raw material: used cooking oil collected from restaurants. Mr Kom sold his biodiesel to contractors in the construction industry, and began making a small profit. He has stopped production temporarily to focus on planning a plant for a potential client in a neighbouring country. A big step up from his modest operation is the multimillion-dollar plant coming up on Jurong Island. It is a joint venture between Peter Cremer of Germany, a global trader of commodities, and Malaysia's Kulim Berhad, which runs oil palm plantations. The plant will be able to deliver 200,000 tonnes of biodiesel a year and its palm oil feedstock will arrive either by truck or by ship, said Mr Luke Ng, a spokesman for the project. Its output will be exported mainly to the US and Europe. In Europe, one in two new cars runs on diesel. It is partly this demand that has encouraged investors to put their money into biodiesel. Investors are planning at least two more plants in Singapore. MAE Engineering, a Singapore company, says it is keen to build a plant on Jurong Island but does not yet have a start date for the construction. Australian company Natural Fuel has ambitions to build a biodiesel plant with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes a year. Its website says the proposed location of its plant is Jurong Island. Being close to a source of palm oil is something on which Singapore engineering company Advanced Holdings is banking. It recently secured a licence to start a 100,000 tonnes a year plant in Pahang - a project which joins more than 50 others that Malaysia has approved in the last 18 months. Singapore-listed company Wilmar picked Riau, in Indonesia, for a massive plant with an annual production capacity of 1.05 million tonnes. When it is completed next year, Wilmar will be the largest biodiesel producer in the region, if not the world, reckons research house Credit Suisse. These plants, along with those planned on Jurong Island, will export biodiesel to Europe and the US. So far, there is nothing planned for Singapore vehicles. Clearly, there is no incentive for vehicle owners to switch yet. ComfortDelGro, which operates a fleet of almost 16,000 diesel taxis, says biodiesel is not viable as it will cost more than petroleum-based diesel. Ms Elsie Sim, general manager of Shell's sales and operations, says the potential demand in Singapore is negligible. There are 128,000 diesel-run vehicles out of a vehicle population of 600,000. But biodiesel, if used, would make up only 10 per cent of a mixture of biodiesel and fossil diesel. The 10per cent limit is the norm around the world to meet current warranties for vehicles. Mr Eric Holthusen, Shell's fuels manager (Asia-Pacific), said biodiesel costs 40 to 60 per cent more to produce than fossil diesel. In Europe, tax incentives and legislation have helped drive up demand for biodiesel. Biofuels - a generic term for fuels made from biological sources - have to make up 5 per cent of European Union member countries' transport fuels by 2009, up from 2.75 per cent now. It is such European demand that is spurring the biodiesel industry in this region, said Mr Holthusen. Although Malaysia has approved dozens of new plants, he pointed out that there was no commercial use for biodiesel there either and that its planned output was headed for Europe too. For now, it looks like the cleaner, renewable diesel option may be made here, but will be used elsewhere.