Whatever said and done drowning incidents have crippled the city and neighbourhood. This is happening for some time during weekends and mainly when schools and colleges organise picnics. They lose their composure by seeing water and go mad to face fatal deaths by drowning in deep sea. Tragedy at Malwan coast accounted for eight collegians from Karnataka met their death in a strong current of sea water on the fateful day.
Miserable drowning deaths send wrong signals among the picnickers in the city. More than 100 deaths in a matter of five years is a cause for worry all the time. Parents sending their children to these dangerous spots are having sleepless nights and if they come out safe then it is only a miracle. Murud beach and Alibaug beach near Panvel are also death traps.
Aksa Beach is also one more dangerous spot in the city. Picnickers will have to take all the precautions and see that life guards are available before entering water. The students should follow the instructions strictly and not to exceed the limit as stipulated on the sign boards round the coast with a caption “caution”. By ignoring warning signals the students endangered their life in the name of adventure. They lacked maturity by entering the choppy sea and invited trouble. Let us take care to save human lives from drowning.
Swimming pool tragedies are case of negligence and it is time to have greater safety in having lifeguards operating within the city waters during summer swimming camps. Whatever said and done, drowning incidents in the city and surrounding areas has crippled Mumbai and its neighbourhood very much. This is happening for some time during the weekends and summer holidays.
Miserable drowning deaths cases sends wrong signals among the parents and sending their children for training in swimming pools in the city or in the sea, ponds and creeks proves fatal. Many deaths have occurred inside water and this is a cause of worry when the children go for a picnic.
During summer season lots of Coaching Camps are held in the city and trainees go inside water without much exposure of swimming. Again, pools and creeks will be more crowded than normal during summer season. Unless there are lifeguards and the required number of life saving devices available in the vicinity the death in the troubled waters will continue. Permission should not be granted to children to venture deep inside water. Children attending swimming classes will have to take all the precautions and ensure that life guards are available before entering pool water. Lifeguards negligence had resulted in instant deaths
in many cases. It is quite imperative that such accidents are taking place because of the carefree attitude of authorities in charge and the lifeguards manning these pools.
When there is a risk factor all precautions have to be taken. Parents have to advise their children not to undertake such ventures alone. It is time to put blocks and boards to instruct people not to cross the limit. After all life is precious and negligence and shortage of lifeguards make things more complicated and hence venturing into the pool is always dangerous if not taken care. Newspapers should highlight the risk factor and make it a topic for the day. Local doctors should be deputed near the water spot to offer first aid and other medical care to victims. Mouth to mouth resurrection can be given to revive some of them. The intake of water entering the lungs causes instant death. Water entering the lungs is to be taken out before proceeding further and infuse confidence to the victim that survival is possible in such drowning cases. But prevention is better than cure.
Jayanthy Subramaniam
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
