Lightning has been detected 186 days per year here, one of the world's highest rates
THE Merlion statue, which was slightly damaged in a lightning strike last Saturday afternoon, is only one of many structures hit by the frequent lightning storms that zap across Singapore each year.
The country has one of the highest rates of lightning activity in the world as its hot tropical weather is ideal for the formation of storm clouds.
Most lightning dissolves harmlessly into the ground. But if a building is struck, residents can find their power and telecommunications disrupted by the massive surge in electrical current.
An average lightning strike carries a current of up to 200,000 amps. In comparison, a 100-watt bulb carries a current of about 0.4 amp.
Lightning expert Liew Ah Choy of the National University of Singapore's Electrical and Computer Engineering department said that during a lightning strike, 'a current burrows its way into a non-conductive material like concrete or fibreglass, burning and cracking it in the process'.
Lightning can be lethal. In 2004, Jiang Tao, a footballer with Chinese club Sinchi, was killed when he was struck while training at the Jurong Stadium.
Between 1982 and last year, the National Environment Agency's Meteorological Services Division detected lightning on an average of 186 days per year.
And lightning hits each square kilometre of land 12 to 20 times each year. Because of this, lightning rods on buildings have been mandatory since 1979, as they help intercept lightning bolts.
Under the current Building Regulations, only buildings, observation towers and other structures housing occupants need shielding from lightning. The Merlion, which has no occupants, does not need a lightning rod.
But Professor Liew said the Merlion statue could be too far away from the One Fullerton building to be adequately protected by its lightning rod. 'Anything about 50m away (from protection) is too far,' he said. This is regardless of the height of the protected building.