PANJIM: In the wake of the almost six incidents of drowning of minor children in last few years, the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) has called for review and revision of safety standards of the swimming pools in accommodations in Goa.
The review has been sought after a five-year-old boy from Bengaluru drowned in a pool at Varca based hotel in April 2023. The Commission has called for review and revision of safety standards at swimming pools/guest houses/theme parks in Goa. It may be also noted that since 2017, there have been six such deaths of children in swimming pools of hotels/guest houses in Goa.
The Commission said that it is very tragic to lose so many children to such a preventable cause of death.
The deaths are appearing to be due to a failure of adequate provision of safety by the hotels/guest houses/theme parks and/or a transition lapse in parenting by the visiting tourist.
Peter Borges, Chairperson of the GSCPCR said, “It is required of the Goa Tourism department to promote responsible tourism and ensure safety of tourist, including children. All such establishments have a duty to exercise ‘reasonable care’ for the safety and security of their guests, including children. The establishments must maintain all areas, including pools, in a reasonably safe condition and warn of possible dangers to children.”
“Such establishments must be held liable for negligence if their pool areas fail to comply with safety laws and requirements, including having appropriate safety equipment available, including lifeguard to watch over minors,” he added.
The Commission has recommended Department of Tourism to make sure all establishments with swimming pools and theme parks with pools have an adequate number of trained lifeguards available whenever they are operational. At other times, there should be no access to the water.
The Commission has said that children less than seven years of age should routinely be offered well-fitting lifeguard approved flotation devices and jackets.
