Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on drowning at public beaches

Jul 3, 2017

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap: To ask the Minister for National Development

(a) in the past five years, how many cases of drowning involving recreational users at public beaches have been reported;

(b) what are the measures in place to ensure the safety of recreational users at public beaches;

(c) how does the Ministry determine the number and distribution of rescue floats at beaches;

(d) how many lifeguards are actively on duty along public beaches at any given time; and

(e) what is the rationale for not having permanent beach patrols and lifeguards at public beaches.

Answer:

There have been 11 drowning fatalities involving recreational users at public beaches over the past 5 years.

Efforts made to help keep swimmers safe include signs in prominent locations to advise beach users about the dangers of swimming in open water.  Lifebuoys are deployed at highly visible locations not more than 300m apart.  There are also patrols at beaches with a high volume of swimmers, like Palawan Beach.  There are at least 14 patrol officers on duty each day at these types of beaches. 

More broadly, the Government has taken steps to equip children with basic water safety skills.  For example, MOE requires all primary school pupils to take part in the SwimSafer programme as part of the Physical Education syllabus.  This is done in partnership with SportSG.

That said, safety measures cannot be 100%.  We urge all recreational users to remain vigilant while swimming in open water.  Parents should also closely supervise their children at beaches at all times.