Gadani drowning tragedy

Memories of 12 members belonging to the same family suddenly being engulfed by waves at Karachi’s Sandspit Beach in September 2017 have been refreshed as a similar tragedy struck another family on June 22. Six unsuspecting family members were swallowed  up by the waters of Gadani Beach when three women tried to rescue their children. Edhi Foundation officials claim that lifeguards and the police were present in the area but did not stop picnickers from going into the water. Placing blame will continue. Alternatively, we require ordinances to restrict people, with consequences for persons who choose to transgress those laws. Although the public will most likely object to measures such as implementing fines for swimming during prohibition season, we will be better suited to protect families from such tragedies.

For a culture that bases the majority of its existence on family and relationships, such headlines are numbing to read. Simultaneously, they have become too frequent whether it is news of multiple family members or individuals from different families losing their lives. Just a week ago, eight people belonging to a few different families lost their lives while picnicking in Karachi and Balochistan and prior to Eid, five people drowned in Pindi while swimming in a polluted stream. Most of these deaths were drownings and largely preventable had prudence prevailed and precaution taken.

The strategy to mitigate tragedies like these is three-fold. First, the authorities must establish rules and enforce them with the help of lifeguards and beach patrols. This should include fines and mandatory educational classes on learning the statistics on such tragedies. Second, awareness in communities about the consequences of negligent attitudes towards cheap thrills should be shared. Finally, a step that would help make significant gains would be to offer swimming classes. Although these steps require planning and resources, they would put less strain on other resources later on, and help prevent mass drowning tragedies.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2018.

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