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<!-- headline one : end --> Lightning has been detected
186 days per year here, one of the world's highest rates <!--
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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.
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.