Whatever said and done drowning incidents have crippled the city and its neighbourhood. This incident has been happening for some time during weekends especially when school and college students go for picnic. They lose their composure by watching water and go mad to face fatal deaths by drowning in deep sea. Fourteen college students from Pune had drowned in the Murud beach. More than 100 deaths is cause for worry all the time. Parents sending their children to these dangerous spots are having sleepless nights and if they return home without any serious mishap then it is considered as their good fortune.
Alibaug beach near Panvel was a death trap. Aksa beach is also one more dangerous spot in the city. Picnickers will have to take all the precautions and ensure that lifeguards 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 lives in the name of adventure. The students lacked maturity by entering the choppy sea and invited trouble.
Swimming pool tragedies are case of negligence and it is time for retrospection in lifeguards operating within the city waters. Whatever said and done, drowning incidents in the satellite city has crippled the city and neighbourhood. This is happening for some time during weekends and summer holidays and Christmas/Diwali vacations. Miserable drowning deaths sends wrong signal among the parents sending their wards for training in swimming pools in the city, swimming in sea, pond and creeks. Many deaths have occurred inside water and this is cause for worry all the time when children go for an outing. During summer students attend swimming coaching camps as they try to enter into water without much exposure in swimming.
Again pools and creek will be more crowded than normal during summer season.
Permission should not be granted to children for venturing into deep sea water. Swimming pools were also death traps during last summer vacation. Children going for swimming classes will have to take all the precautions and see that life guards are available before entering pool water. Lifeguards negligence resulted in instant death in many cases. It is quite imperative that such accidents are taking place because of carefree attitude of authorities in charge and the lifeguards manning these pools.
When there is a risk factor all the precautions have to be taken. Parents have to advise their children not to undertake such ventures alone. There is no one to caution them and caution is thrown to the sea. It is time to put blocks and Boards to warn people about the danger of entering into sea. Newspapers should highlight the risk factor and create awareness among readers about the perils of venturing into sea. Local doctors should be available near the spot to offer first aid and other medicinal care to the drowning victim to revive his life. Mouth to mouth resurrection can save some lives. The intake of water entering the lungs caused instant death. Water entering the lungs is to be taken out before proceeding further and give the confidence to the victim that survival is possible in such drowning cases. But prevention is always better than cure.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
