Three students of Indian Maritime University (IMU), one from Rajasthan and the other two from Bihar, drowned at Yarada Beach a few days ago. They were part of a group of 19 students, who went to chill out at the picturesque Yarada Beach on November 7.
An 11-member group of Intermediate final-year students went to celebrate ‘Friendship Day' at Rushikonda Beach last year. They played football on the beach after which 10 of them went for a swim. Five of them met a watery grave. Friendship Day will remain a nightmare for the survivors for the rest of their lives.
The trauma which the families of the victims undergo is unfathomable. It is not as though the revellers were unaware of the risks involved in playing with the waves. The blue waters of the sea and the golden sandy beaches are an irresistible attraction not only to tourists but also local people. The attraction proves fatal when they do not exercise adequate caution. The water depth and intensity of waves are unpredictable, and sometimes even playing in shallow water can be fatal.
Picnic season
Warning boards fail to deter revellers from getting into waist-deep water or even risking a swim against the tide. With the picnic season on, scores of people of all age groups throng the beaches in large numbers to spend a fun-filled day along with their friends and relatives.
Once they get into a playful mood, they forget the dangers involved and throw all caution to the wind. The presence of crowds on the beach sometimes gives them a ‘feeling of safety' that one person or the other would be an expert swimmer to save them in the event of any eventuality.
Scientists of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) have identified the presence of rip currents in and around Visakhapatnam, a few years ago, and have declared some parts of the beach ‘unsafe'. The only beach in the city that is said to be safe for swimming is the Lawson's Bay but unfortunately, this beach is a symbol of neglect with open defecation and unhygienic surroundings.
“The private players, who have taken possession of some of the beaches, should own responsibility for the safety of tourists and visitors who play at the beach under their jurisdiction. Modern technology like surveillance cameras can be used to check drowning deaths,” Police Commissioner J. Purnachandra Rao feels.
