Fears over pace of climate change as Singapore, Malaysia battle drought

Singapore and Malaysia are grappling with some of the driest weather they have ever seen, forcing Singapore to boost supplies of recycled water while its neighbour rations reserves amid disruptions to farming and fisheries.

Singapore, which experiences tropical downpours on most days, suffered its longest dry spell on record between January 13 and February 8 and has had little rain since.

In peninsular Malaysia, 15 areas have not had rainfall in more than 20 days, with some of them dry for more than a month, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

Forecasters say the dry spell is expected to run for another two weeks.

The Indonesian province of Riau has also been hit, with part of the region wreathed in smog, usually caused by farmers setting fires to illegally clear land. Poor visibility has disrupted flights to and from Pekanbaru airport.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was due to discuss the drought at a regular cabinet meeting yesterday that would decide whether to declare a national emergency, according to state news agency Bernama.