Neglect at beaches

Every year in summer months and on festive occasions, there are reports of picnickers drowning off Karachi’s beaches. This year on the second day of Eid, two men drowned off the Sea View beach. The police and rescuers recovered one of the bodies after a six-hour-long effort while search for the other continued. A six-year-old girl too is reported to have gone missing from the same picnic spot. As usual, there were no watch and ward staff on the beach to warn people not to venture out far into the sea nor were there lifeguards present to protect those in danger. The absence of lifeguards on Eid holidays has left people perplexed.

This is incomprehensible considering that during hot months and holidays people throng beaches to have fun and to get away from the heat, but some of them return tragedy-stricken as they lose their near and dear ones to the sea waves. The ordinary people are not aware that beaches in Karachi are vulnerable to dangers and the sea is treacherous. However, when picnickers lose their lives from drowning, it is mostly because there are no lifeguards, other rescue measures and proper warning signs on the beach to save people from drowning. In recent years in quite a few misfortunes, the sea has gobbled up several members of one family. People picnicking on the beach are either swept away by a sudden rush of sea waves, or if some of the picnickers go out some distance away from the land and strong currents push them farther into the sea, onlookers rush on to rescue them. Sometimes rescuers too get drowned.

In 2014, at least 41 people had died from drowning off the Sea View. After that the administration had put safety measures in place on the beaches. Soon tragedies and safety steps are forgotten leaving people to their fate. Many lives have been lost due to drowning in the sea over the years, yet neither the government nor beach-goers have learnt their lessons. Lifeguards and other rescue measures should be mandatory at the beaches.