Drowning incidents
in swimming pools
A 3-year-old girl reportedly drowned in a swimming pool at a resort in Agonda after she accidentally fell into it.
A few days back a five-year-old girl from Bihar allegedly drowned in the pool of a five-star hotel at Arpora. In the past, there have been incidents of little children, left unattended, meeting a watery grave. Every hotel worth its name has a swimming pool. The swimming pools should have at least a supervisor to keep a watch.
Children, who have had swimming lessons, still need close and constant supervision when in or around water. When not in use, swimming pools need to have a four-sided detachable fence that is at least four feet in height and fully encloses the pool. The hotel management should remove all toys from the pool area that might attract children to the pool when the pool is not in use.
Parents should designate a responsible adult to supervise closely and constantly when children are in or near water. Adults watching kids in or near water should avoid distracting activities like reading, using the phone, and consuming alcohol.
Life jackets should be used by children for all activities while in and around the swimming pool. Swimming pool safety entails heavy responsibility in the hotel hospitality field. The hotel staff should be familiar with CPR skills in case of any eventuality.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Timely measure during testing times
Amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, the government is keeping a close watch on the development at the border.
The measures to be taken during the drill include operationalisation of air raid warning sirens and training of civilians on civil defence aspects to protect them in the event of a hostile attack. The other measures are provisions of crash blackout measures, early camouflaging of vital plants and installations and update of evacuation plans and their rehearsal. It is a right step in the right direction keeping in view the tense situation in the sub continent.
A series of high-level meetings, including with top defence functionaries, as India weighs its options for countermeasures against the April 22 terror attack which left 26 civilians, mostly tourists, dead. It is a timely measure to keep people abreast with the latest emergency measures to be taken in the wake of a tense situation. The youth must be ready to know the basic needs in a testing time. These mock drills will have a direct impact during testing time.
C K Subramaniam, Navi Mumbai
Missionaries of Charity’s right move
In my view, the management of Missionaries of Charity made the right decision to move out of the hustle and bustle of a busy city like Panjim.
All was well that ended well, considering that 44 inmates from St Inez were reportedly relocated to two other shelters run by Missionaries of Charity nuns in Goa.
It is not understood why such a hue and cry is being raised over the pull-out. Having seen the shelter in Carambolim and inquired from time to time as to its needs, I was convinced that it was well managed and could, in due course and given the right support, effectively and entirely fill the gap left behind by the closure of activities at the Panjim shelter.
Carambolim is a peaceful, quiet location amidst a real feel of the authentic Goan environment. It is conveniently located opposite a church and close to Karmali railway station. Interested parties who are needlessly pushing for return to St Inez, may instead wish to bolster support to the Carambolim shelter to enable it expand its activities.
Anita Pinto, Baga
Need to control
flyover accidents
Accidents on flyovers are on the rise in India. The very step to decongest roads and streamline traffic is proving hazardous to vehicular flow. No policeman can regulate the drivers on flyovers. So, it becomes important to think of novel ideas to infuse discipline among the drivers. The time taken by a vehicle to travel from the entrance of the flyover to the exit can be a handy way of identifying speeding drivers.
The method needs appropriate technology and exemplary hard work to see the light of day. Deviating from the correct lane may prove to be a mistake on highways, on flyovers such blunders could prove fatal. Flyover roads are bound by a parapet wall on one side and a median on the other.
A vehicle breaching lane discipline can throw another off balance resulting in accidents. At night, the glare of the opposite vehicles may blur a driver’s vision. Architects have to incorporate new methods of parapet and median wall construction, laying emphasis on design that offers convenience to drivers, keeping in mind the safety aspects.
Much has been said about the height and material of the parapets and medians which require a regular review.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola