Beware of stingrays and jelly fish, warns BMC

Ganesh devotees will have to take each step with utmost care on the beaches on the visarjan day. With the threat of stingray and jelly fish, the fisheries department has issued an advisory to the civic body. Although the BMC has set up medical camps on every beach and also stocked necessary first-aid medicines, there's little it can do to avoid attack by these aquatic animals.

The fisheries department has however cleared that this is the season when fishes get washed out in big numbers. It is a protocol to issue an advisory to BMC in the wake of threats from such fishes as they may pose danger to citizens. During Ganapati immersions, lakhs of people throng the beaches. In 2013, at least 50-60 people were injured after stingray and jelly fish attacks at Girgaum Chowpatty.

Stingrays and jelly fish get washed out with the waves during high tides and get buried in sand. Stingrays use their venomous tail to whip if someone steps on them and this causes unbearable pain. The jelly fish sticks to the body of a person when he comes in contact with it and this causes rashes and burning sensation. The fisheries department advisory states that citizens should not venture into the sea without clothes for immersion and should wear gumboots to avoid stingray attacks.

The department had carried out 'net test' at Girgaum Chowpatty twice and have found the presence of these fishes. But such a test is yet to be conducted at Dadar Chowpatty. They have not found any threat at Juhu and Aksa beaches yet.

BMC has put up boards at all immersion points on beaches to create awareness and have also mentioned tips to follow. The civic body has also appealed people to hand over the idols to the trained people deputed by the authorities for immersion.