Police launch ‘safe beach’ campaign

With the number of cases of drowning rising in Puducherry, safe areas have been marked for swimming

Danger zone: Paradise Beach is one of the several spots in Puducherry that have recorded a number of cases of drowning in recent times.

The police and the tourism departments have jointly identified safe swimming zones along the coastline of Puducherry in the wake of growing number of cases of drowning.

The coastal pockets in Kalapet, Pillaichavady, Uppalam, Veerampattinam, Chinna Veerampattinam, Pudukuppam, Nallavadu, Narambai, and Moorthikuppam having water depth of not more than four feet during high tide have been identified as safe for tourists to swim.

The identified areas in these coastal hamlets would be demarcated by putting up enclosures for tourists to bathe. “The loss of lives due to drowning in recent times has been a cause of worry,” Director-General of Police S.K. Gautam said. Mr. Gautam told

The Hindu that almost all cases of drowning involve students who come to enjoy the serenity of beaches but meet with a tragic end, he pointed out.

“Without knowledge of the area, they venture into the sea and get drowned.” Signboards warning people against swimming in places considered unsafe are serving the purpose, he said. Therefore, the police decided to designate safe swimming zones and provide prominent markings. The safe swimming zones would be given wide publicity by putting up signboards at railway station, bus Stands, and prominent tourist places, the DGP said.

The Tourism Department had decided to put up watchtowers at Pillaichavady, Chinna Veerampattinam, Pudukuppam, and Narambai for keeping a close watch on these zones. “In case of any drowning incident, rescue operations could be immediately launched,” he said.

The Tourism Department had agreed to deploy life safety equipment, life jackets, rescue tubes, and inflatable boats at the safe zones, he added.

Data revealed that there were nine cases of drowning in 2015, 12 in 2016, and two so far this year. While a majority of the cases reported in 2015 involved local people, the scenario changed last year as almost all victims drowned last year were tourists. Most drowning cases had occurred at Veerampattinam beach, Pudukuppam beach, Rock beach, Paradise beach, and Vambakeerapalayam beach.