No safety audit yet despite rise in incidents of drowning in Kozhikode

Despite a distressing rise in drowning incidents, a comprehensive safety audit of risky waterbodies and tourist destinations is yet to be conducted in Kozhikode district. The latest incident occurred at a popular swimming spot in the Mampuzha river, where a youth drowned while swimming with friends, highlighting flaws in the existing surveillance and rescue systems.

In the past two months, there were 15 drowning cases in the district, including two tragic incidents at public ponds near Kuttichira and Karuvanpoyil, in which the victims were teenagers. A majority of the victims were under 25 years of age. Though some were pulled from the water within minutes, the delayed arrival of emergency vehicles and the distance to hospitals reportedly undermined rescue efforts.

“We do encourage children to learn swimming. But it alone can’t address the safety concerns at vulnerable spots. There should be a sufficient number of guards for live monitoring and rescue assistance in case of an emergency,” says Chalil Pramod, a swimming trainer from Elathur. He points out that there are many unprotected spots in the district where youngsters gather to have fun, often ignoring or unaware of the safety risks.

Heads of various local bodies point out that there should be district-level initiatives to appoint trained lifeguards at all vulnerable spots after a proper assessment of the situation. They demand that the Tourism department or the destination management committees concerned bear the cost and make it a permanent arrangement.

“There are some upland destinations that remain no man’s land due to various technical reasons related to their operation and maintenance. Only a safety audit can identify such locations and help the authorities find a solution,” says a former local body member from Thiruvambady. He adds that all public ponds under the control of local bodies, temple administrators, and other owners should have proper safety measures, and it should be made a legal responsibility.

According to sources in the Fire and Rescue Services department, the rising number of drowning incidents continues to pose a major threat, much like road accidents in Kerala. They say the total number of drowning deaths in the State in 2023 alone was 1,040, with insufficient mitigation measures in place. As per police records, the total number of such deaths between 2018 and 2023, including unnatural deaths, is close to 12,000, they reveal.

Apart from mitigation measures, some local body representatives and workers of voluntary organisations have urged the authorities to consider sanctioning reasonable compensation for the families of drowning victims. They add that the district-level disaster management authority can take up the matter, considering the growing public concern.