Column

The next time you plan to send your child to a swimming pool, think again. With the drowning of seven-year-old Kasim Siddiqui at Andheri’s Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex swimming pool, the superficial pellicle of safety surrounding such places has been split wide open. This is not the first incident to shock Mumbai. The past two years have seen an array of such cases splattered all over newsprint and the TV screen. Everyone sat numbed as each tragic drowning incident unfolded. Everyone agreed something needed to be done, immediately. Except for the civic authorities, the ever-so-contented BMC.

The megapolis, known for its stringent grip on safety despite a population bursting at the seams, is losing face. No, I’m not overreacting. Come to think of it. Every summer, with vacations approaching, scores of children go to such swimming pools. What is one asking for? Safety for the kids? Emergency facilities? Vigilant coaches and lifeguards? Are these little requisites too much for the asking? The civic body can cut trees to widen the roads if accident figures go up. Okay, nothing wrong with that. Safety comes first. Imagine, the sports complex pool in Andheri does not have an in-house medical facility.

Lifeguards and instructors employed there are not well-trained in
life-saving and rescue skills by certified agencies. Kasim’s death revealed that basic safety apparatus, such as oxygen cylinders with masks, life buoys, rescue ropes and light poles, weren’t there at the swimming pool. Surprisingly, the pool reopened without a go ahead from authorities! Moreover, human negligence in such hugely avoidable disasters is unforgivable.

Let’s now talk of the beaches in the city. Don’t go breathless if I say that they outnumber lifeguards. With five lifeguards at Versova beach, and eight at Aksa, the safety on the beaches is way down the civic authorities’ priority list. Last year, in three months, Aksa, Gorai, Juhu and Versova witnessed 20 cases of drowning. But our blessed rulers seem a tad too slow at learning and there have been no moves to upgrade the equipment of lifeguards who have rudimentary ropes and tyres at their disposal. Sample this: Juhu beach has some seven lifeguards for a stretch of four kilometers. If that’s not enough, beaches like Madh and Manori go mostly unmanned.

There have been points and counter-points galore. Most, including activists put the blame directly on the BMC and the police. Yes, police posts at some beaches have been lying vacant for years and there is absence of patrolling. Beaches are not equipped to handle crisis situations and there are no speedboats or sirens to warn people of high tides. Moreover, not everyone can afford to go to a swimming pool. Beaches are a better option to cool off. Ignorance of the dangerous spots on the beach results in most casualties.

The official word is that BMC will seek help from expert trainers to upgrade safety standards at its swimming pools. How thoughtful, as if it has been jolted out of its slumberous apathy by Kasim’s death!

Should safety be tagged to mortality for decisive action? The Andheri pool, along with another at Mulund, was inaugurated over a week ago. BMC had shut down six pools following water crisis due to poor monsoon. Irony: When one opened, one drowned. No more words. It’s time BMC took action. Pronto.