NEA detects elevated bacteria levels at Pasir Ris and Sembawang Park beaches, swimming and some water activities discouraged
The grading of both beaches dropped from 'good' to 'fair' as the NEA warned of increased risk of gastrointestinal illnesses from water activities.
SINGAPORE — You might want to think twice about that swim the next time you're at one of these two Singapore beaches. The National Environment Agency (NEA) has advised the public against carrying out primary contact water activities in the waters of Pasir Ris Beach and Sembawang Park Beach due to elevated bacteria levels.
Primary contact water activities include swimming, wakeboarding, windsurfing and water immersion training, where a person’s whole body or face and trunk are frequently immersed, making it likely for some water to be swallowed, the NEA said. Meanwhile, other non-primary contact water activities like sailing, kayaking and canoeing can continue.
In a media release on Monday (5 February), the agency said that both beaches saw a grading drop from "good” to “fair” from its annual beach grading exercise. The "fair" grading is due to an increase in Enterococcus (EC) bacteria levels, which increases the risk of gastrointestinal infection when beach water is ingested, the NEA said.
EC is a bacteria commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals like humans, the NEA said. Increased EC levels in recreational water increases the risk of gastrointestinal illnesses in swimmers.
Signages advising the public against swimming will be put up along both beaches, and will be in place until further notice., the NEA added.
EC bacteria from inland sources, investigations ongoing
The NEA is working with PUB, the National Parks Board (NParks) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to investigate and mitigate possible sources contributing to the elevated EC bacteria.
"Based on our preliminary investigations, the elevated EC levels are from inland sources and are not transboundary in nature," said the NEA.
East Coast Beach, Changi Beach, Punggol Beach, Seletar Island Beach and Sentosa Beach have maintained a “good” grade and are suitable for all water activities. Beachgoers are still encouraged to refer to the Beach Short-term Water Quality Information (BSWI) on NEA's website or the myENV app before engaging in water activities
Last year, all recreational beaches were graded “good”, which meant that waters were suitable for all activities.
The last beach advisory was issued for Pasir Ris Beach from August 2008 to January 2012. Primary contact activities were allowed to resume in February 2012, after a detailed study and remediation efforts were carried out.
How grading is carried out
The NEA said it conducts regular water sampling at all seven popular recreational beaches at the start of each year. The beaches are graded based on World Health Organization (WHO) recreational water quality guidelines.
Beaches with EC levels greater than 200 colony forming unit per 100ml, for more than 5 per cent of the samples over a three-year period, will be graded “fair”. Beaches with even higher EC levels will be rated "poor" and "very poor".
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