Team Herald
PANJIM: Despite claims of tight lookout on beaches to ensure visitors maintain a safe distance from the rough sea, 49 cases of drowning have been reported in the last ten years. Data recorded between 2008 till March 2018 reveals that 3,307 lives have been saved by Drishti lifeguards since it took over the lifesaving exercise at the beaches.
Safety on the beaches is divided among the professionally trained Drishti lifeguards and the police, who are barely trained to carry out rescue operations as their domain
covers ensuring law and order.
While Drishti lifeguards operate from 7.30 am to 6.00 pm (until sunset); post sunset from 6.00 pm to midnight the beaches are patrolled by the Beach Safety Patrol (BSP). The remaining, over seven hours, are unmanned. The drowning incident on Monday morning that saw three men, including a constable from Ankola, Maharashtra washed away in the rough sea at Calangute, was during this ‘unmanned’ period.
“Since Drishti’s service is from 7-7:30am till sunset, the agency issued advisories cautioning people not to enter the waters during the ban period,” said a Drishti Marine spokesperson.
Herald tried contacting the Tourism Department but the officials remained unavailable while a senior Goa Police officer said their personnel patrol the beaches round the clock. “We are not experts in rescue operations though our personnel are provided basic training. Our personnel stop people from venturing into the waters when there is a warning sign but some visitors hoodwink us. There are many instances wherein our patrolling staff has warned of penal action against the violators,” said the officer wishing anonymity. He added that their patrolling teams’ priority also constitutes safety of the people from the law and order front.
Drishti began operations in Goa in 2008. A total of 200 drowning cases occurred in 2007, which prompted the then State government to put together an efficient system. Drishti claims that the service led to a 99 percent reduction in deaths due to drowning. Over 3,000 lives have been saved since then, due to intervention rescue operations.
Among the total rescued, most are Indian tourists. A total of 405 tourists were rescued in 2016 of which 319 were domestic tourists while 86 were foreign tourists. In the following year, a total of 381 tourists were rescued of which 281 were domestic tourists and 100 foreign nationals. The first quarter of the calendar year saw 80 tourists rescued of which 48 were domestic and 32 foreigners.
