SINGAPORE – Bharoti Pande knows the pain of losing a loved one to drowning.

Her daughter Aakanksha Pande was a strong swimmer, but the 37-year-old drowned off a beach in Bali in July 2018 after being caught in rip tides.

Highlighting that proper safety protocols were not in place then, Bharoti, 72, is hopeful that others will not have to suffer the same fate with the help of clear guidelines and standards.

She was speaking at the launch of Sport Singapore (SportSG) and the Singapore Standards Council’s codes of practice for water safety at SportSG’s auditorium on Jan 25.

Recounting the ordeal, Bharoti said that Aakanksha still had a pulse when she was brought back to the beach by a surfer. However, there were no lifeguards at the scene to render immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

When the ambulance arrived, there was an oxygen cylinder but no defibrillator. To worsen matters, the first hospital that Aakanksha was taken to was closed. By the time they made it to another, it was too late to save her.

A teary Bharoti said: “I thought that maybe by sharing my story… I could make both people who are swimmers and those who are involved in setting safety standards more aware.

“I honestly believe that safety should not be compromised, because no family deserves this.”

Two codes of practice were launched – the first (SS 700:2023) is an updated set of guidelines for aquatic facilities following its previous edition in 2019, while the other (SS 701:2023) is a new list of requirements for activities involving inland and open waters.

Delphine Fong, ActiveSG’s head of sport safety, said that the update was necessary due to the increasing prevalence of drowning incidents involving breath-holding and hyperventilation.

One example in the code states that lifeguards, instructors, coaches and parents must look out for signs of a shallow-water blackout, in which the victim is unconscious due to a lack of oxygen.

The code specifies that an average person can hold his or her breath for 30 to 90 seconds and, as a rule of thumb, a breath-hold can be done for a maximum distance of 25m at one time.

Guidelines for inland- and open-water activities include a venue and equipment checklist, a checklist for safe water activities and a guide to staffing ratio for adult participants during activities. There are also examples of risk factors and control measures for water sports such as scuba diving, rowing and sailing.

Both codes are available for purchase on the Singapore Standards e-Shop.

Organisations involved in aquatic activities and those managing aquatic facilities are encouraged to adopt the new guidelines.

Fong said that roadshows will also be organised to educate the public and swimming pool operators on the importance of adopting the codes of practice.

She added: “Our biggest target is really the hotels and the condominiums where they have pools and many of them are not manned by lifeguards. Drowning prevention is a shared responsibility and everyone plays a part.”

Concerns about water safety have been heightened recently, following a spate of drowning incidents.

Last October, a 33-year-old kayaker died off the coast of Sentosa. On Dec 10, there was a case of suspected drowning when the body of a 20-year-old man was retrieved from the waters off East Coast Park. In the same month, a Singaporean man was subsequently found to have drowned after going missing off Desaru in Johor.

ActiveSG chief Tan Hock Leong said that with a “growing demand for aquatic sports among Singaporeans, it is imperative to uphold stringent levels of safety”.

He added: “Whether you are an event organiser, a coach of a school or club, the (codes of practice) allow one to effectively evaluate the known risks of aquatic sporting activities and help mitigate them.

“The necessary safe practices in place will provide ease of mind and encourage more to participate in aquatic sports.”