SINGAPORE: It is now safe to swim at Pasir Ris beach.
The National Environment Agency has declared the water quality at Pasir Ris beach as "good", more than three years after it advised the public not to swim, wakeboard or waterski in the water there due to pollution.
NEA said the water quality at Pasir Ris beach has improved from "fair" to "good" according to the World Health Organisation's water quality guidelines for recreational use.
The beach will be reopened on Friday.
NEA said only 3 per cent of the collected water samples at Pasir Ris beach have enterococcus bacteria counts of greater than 200 per 100 ml in 2011, compared to 7 per cent in 2010.
This bacteria is found in human faeces.
NEA said the previous "fair" grading for the water quality at Pasir Ris beach was attributed to various possible sources, including minor leakage from older sewers, discharge from moored vessels, animals, as well as discharge from small-scale sewage treatment plants that serve the more remote areas in Pasir Ris.
NEA said PUB has extended the sewer network and diverted the used water from the 39 sewage treatment plants in the Tampines and Changi areas.
In March, PUB also completed the rehabilitation of 23 kilometres of aging sewers in the area under its sewer rehabilitation programme.
These measures have helped to improve the water quality at Pasir Ris beach.
The next annual review of water quality at Singapore's beaches will be in 2013.
- CNA/cc
Safe for swimming again
Water quality now good enough for aquatic activities, says NEA
Huang Lijie Straits Times 28 Jan 12;
AFTER a four-year wait, visitors to Pasir Ris beach can finally take a dip in the waters there without worry.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) announced yesterday that water quality at the beach has improved from 'fair' to 'good' and it is now suitable for swimming, water-skiing and other activities involving full-body contact or immersion.
The agency had been advising Pasir Ris beachgoers against water activities such as swimming since 2008, due to unsafe levels of enterococcus bacterium in the water.
The bacterium, found in animal and human faeces, can cause gastro-intestinal illnesses such as vomiting and diarrhoea if swimmers come into contact with it.
Under the World Health Organisation's guidelines for the quality of recreational waters, only beaches that are graded 'good' or 'very good' are suitable for full-body contact water activities.
Pasir Ris beach had been given a 'fair' rating in NEA's annual assessment of the water quality of beaches from 2008 to 2010.
At five other popular recreational beaches in Sentosa, Seletar Island, Sembawang Park, Changi and East Coast, where NEA also monitors the water quality, the ratings have been 'good' or 'very good'.
The water quality at Pasir Ris beach entered the 'good' range last year and it was closely monitored for a few more months to ensure that the improvement was sustained before the announcement was made yesterday.
The water quality at the beach was improved by tackling possible sources of water contamination, including minor leakage from older sewers and effluent discharge from smaller sewage treatment plants in the area.
With the help of the water treatment agency PUB, the public sewer network was extended to 39 sewage treatment plants in the Pasir Ris area so that the used water was diverted to waste water treatment plants first before being discharged into the sea.
PUB also finished repairing 23km of ageing sewers in the area last March under its sewer rehabilitation programme.
NEA said it would continue to monitor the water quality of the six beaches regularly and conduct the next annual review next year.
When The Straits Times visited the Pasir Ris beach yesterday, no one was swimming or taking part in water activities such as waterskiing.
Signs that used to warn beachgoers against swimming there, though, were gone.
Mrs Liao Mei Ling, 41, owner of a trading company who regularly visits the beach with her two nieces aged 10 and three, said: 'I never knew about the no-swimming advisory but I never allowed my nieces to swim because the water used to be filled with rubbish. Now that it is safe for swimming, I might reconsider.'
However, some beachgoers like Mr Gerard Pereira, 28, may not be taking a dip in the waters there soon.
Mr Pereira, who is between jobs and a frequent angler at Pasir Ris and East Coast, said: 'The water at East Coast beach looks cleaner and clearer so if I want to swim in the sea, I would rather swim there.'
Businesses at the beach welcomed the announcement that the waters are suitable for swimming and other water activities.
Madam Lillian Neo, 60, owner of a rental bike kiosk there, said its business dived by 20 per cent after NEA discouraged swimming at the beach.
She said: 'Now that swimming and other water activities are allowed at the beach, more people may come and we hope our business will also improve.'
Rating water quality at beaches
Straits Times 28 Jan 12;
UNDER the World Health Organisation's guidelines, there are five ratings for beach water quality - very good, good, fair, poor and very poor.
The grading depends on the level of enterococcus bacterium in the water at the beach, which is based on weekly sampling results collected over three years, and the degree of susceptibility of the beach to faecal contamination.
Beaches where not more than 5 per cent of the water samples contain more than 200 enterococcus bacteria per 100ml of water are rated 'good' or 'very good'.
Beaches with more than 5 per cent of such samples are graded 'fair', 'poor' or 'very poor'.
In 2009, Pasir Ris beach had 8 per cent of such water samples. It dropped to 7 per cent in 2010.
Last year, only 3 per cent of the water samples had more than 200 enterococcus bacteria per 100 ml, thus meeting the 'good' rating.
The water quality at East Coast Park, Sembawang Park and Changi Beach were also rated 'good' last year, while the beaches on Sentosa and Seletar Island were classified as 'very good'.
HUANG LIJIE
Pasir Ris Beach Now Open For Water Activities
NEA Media Release 27 Jan 12;
Singapore, 27 January 2012 – The National Environment Agency (NEA) is pleased to announce that Pasir Ris beach will be reopened today. The water quality at Pasir Ris beach has improved in 2011 and can now be reclassified from "Fair" to "Good" according to the World Health Organization (WHO)'s water quality guidelines for recreational use. Under these guidelines, only beaches that are graded "Good" or "Very Good" are suitable for whole body water contact activities such as swimming, water-skiing and wakeboarding (also known as primary contact activities). Pasir Ris beach will now join five other popular recreational beaches where the water quality is suitable for beach goers and water activities.
Water quality of Singapore beaches
For the past three years, five out of the six popular recreational beaches monitored by NEA were assessed to be suitable for primary contact activities as they were graded “Good” or “Very Good”. They are Sentosa Island, Seletar Island, Sembawang Park, Changi and East Coast Park. These 5 beaches continue to meet the WHO water quality guidelines for recreational use.
The water quality at Pasir Ris beach has improved in 2011, with only 3% of the collected samples having enterococcus counts greater than 200 per 100 ml, compared to 7% in 2010. The results of the water quality for recreational beaches are based on the weekly sampling results of water samples over three years.
Improvement in Pasir Ris beach water quality
The previous “Fair” grading for the water quality at Pasir Ris beach was attributed to various possible sources, including minor leakage from older sewers, discharges from moored vessels, animals, as well as discharges from small-scale Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) that serve the more remote areas in Pasir Ris. The weak water currents in the concave part of Pasir Ris beach are not effective in diluting and dispersing the discharges.
To help improve the water quality at Pasir Ris beach, PUB has extended the sewer network and diverted the used water from the 39 STPs in the Halus/Tampines, Changi and Selarang areas. PUB has also, in March 2011, completed the rehabilitation of 23 kilometres (km) of aging sewers in the area under its sewer rehabilitation programme.
NEA will continue to monitor closely the water quality of the six beaches and conduct the next annual review in 2013.
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For more information, please contact
Call Centre: 1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632)
Email: Contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg
More people at Pasir Ris beach after water declared safe
Seet Sok Hwee Channel NewsAsia 28 Jan 12;
SINGAPORE: There were more people at Pasir Ris beach on Saturday, after the National Environment Agency (NEA) declared the water quality there as "good".
For over three years, the NEA had advised the public not to swim, wakeboard or waterski in the water due to pollution.
While the public had no qualms about splashing around at the beach on Saturday, litter could still be seen at various parts of the recreational area.
Businesses and the public are hopeful for a more enjoyable time now that the beach has been certified with a clean bill of health.
Ivan Teo, manager of Watercross, said: "It will definitely bring more crowds to the beach itself. Hopefully it will bring a better crowd to all businesses around here."
-CNA/ac