What can be more disastrous for a family than the day of a festival or celebration turning into the most dreadful day of their lives? A day after Eid two families, one from Candolim and one from Mapusa, were on a visit to the Keri beach in North Goa on Sunday, however, the “bold” act of clicking selfies at the dangerous rocks turned joy into sorrow within minutes.
Both the families lost two members each, while two more were rescued during the incident. The deceased included three teenagers and a 25-year-old youth, all swayed by the dangerous act of selfies at a point that was not manned by lifeguards.
On the eve of Valentine’s Day this year, a tourist couple who were in Goa to celebrate the special day drowned at Palolem beach. During the Christmas and New Year festivities the State witnesses a huge influx of tourists and along with that a spike in such tragedies at the beaches. Not to forget the defiant tourists who drive their vehicles right onto the shores and create difficult situations for themselves and others on the beach.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), deaths due to drowning are a serious global yet neglected public health issue. Data from the Global Health Estimates (GHE) 2019 revealed that India ranks seventh in the South-East Asia Region for the age-standardised drowning death rate. The country’s own National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2021 revealed that nearly 10 percent of the total accidental deaths are due to drowning.
Data from various government statistical records highlights the fact that Goa witnesses on average at least two cases of drowning deaths every week. The NCRB data for 2021 pointed out that 115 people died due to drowning that year in Goa. The scenario is disturbing as Drishti Lifesaving, the State government-appointed agency for life-saving services at the beaches and waterfalls of Goa, has claimed to have rescued 456 persons in 2022 from drowning at various locations across the State.
The Goa government ought to take these deaths seriously and deliberate on ways to ensure that the sliding ranking of Goa as an unsafe tourist destination is not further accelerated due to the increasing number of drowning deaths at Goa’s beaches and other tourist spots.
Taking a leaf from the recommendations of the WHO, the Goa government should install barriers controlling access to water at locations that are identified as ‘Risk Zones’ and declare them as ‘No Access Areas’. As part of the school curriculum, the government should undertake a project to teach school children swimming and water safety skills. In Goa, swimming has never been perceived as a necessity despite being a coastal State and most of the population which is acquainted with swimming has learned it in the indigenous way. In addition, there is an urgent need to train the population about safe rescue and resuscitation during times of emergency.
In an advisory, the Tourism Department has asked the public not to take selfies at dangerous locations like cliffs, sea rocks, etc, as this may lead to accidents. In Goa, the consumption of alcohol in open areas like beaches is prohibited and is a punishable offence. The Tourism Department’s advisory informs that violation of the rules will attract a fine of Rs 5,000 which may be extended up to Rs 50,000, however, neither the Tourism Department nor the Goa Police has executed its own directives and enforced the laws in its true spirit.
We have paper tigers in almost all spheres of governance, however, the need of the hour is strict enforcement of the laws in order to ensure the safety and security of the people visiting the beaches and waterfalls in the State.