FOR the third year in a row, picnickers hoping to swim in the waters off Pasir Ris Beach will be disappointed, as the area off the north-eastern shore is still too contaminated by a bacterium found in faeces to swim safely in.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) gave the water there a 'fair' rating in its annual update on beach water quality yesterday, after finding too many samples containing unsafe levels of the enterococcus bacterium, which can cause gastro-intestinal illnesses like vomiting and diarrhoea if swimmers come into contact with it.
The bacterium is found in animal and human faeces, and the problem appears to be the proximity of smaller sewage treatment plants in Tampines and Changi which discharge the effluents into the
area. Water treatment agency PUB said the currents off Pasir Ris Beach were not strong enough to carry the discharge out and disperse it at sea.
Some older sewage pipes may also be leaking untreated sewage.
In a study last year, the NEA also said that other sources of contamination could be moored vessels and animals in the area.
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