There’s no escaping the El Nino. Here’s how ASEAN can blunt its fire and fury
Both firefighting assets and longer-term land management policies are needed.
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Skyscrapers shrouded in haze in Jakarta on May 7. The worst haze years have been when El Nino and IOD coincided.
PHOTO: AFP
Simon Tay
Memories can become hazy after a decade. But 10 years ago, the skies over Singapore and across the region were blackened as the 2015 to 2016 El Nino cycle set off severe fires and sent a pall of choking smoke across South-east Asia.
Singapore sweltered through a heatwave during that period and schools were forced to close at one point as the haze reached dangerous levels.