Around 150 people have been reportedly been stung by the blue bottles on beaches like Girgaum chowpatty, Juhu and Aksa as per the lifeguards.
Even as the fear of Blue bottles or Portuguese Man O' War which are also known as 'floating terror' has been spreading across the beaches of Mumbai- with huge numbers being reported washed ashore on several beaches of Mumbai, volunteers of Marine Life Of Mumbai (MLOM) a group of marine enthusiasts, are visiting beaches and creating awareness amongst the lifeguards about basic dos and donts to help the victims who have been stung.
Since August 2, around 150 people have been reportedly been stung by the blue bottles on beaches like Girgaum chowpatty, Juhu and Aksa as per the lifeguards. While many reported mild irritation many including children had developed rashes and were experiencing burning sensation.
"Most of us were shocked on seeing videos and images of people rubbing lemon, ice and trying other methods to help many victims including children who were stung at Aksa beach on Saturday and hence we decided to meet up with lifeguards who in many cases are the first responders and tell them basic do's and don't's," said Shaunak Modi, marine enthusiast who is part of the MLOM and met the lifeguards at Juhu on Monday after images of several blue bottles strewn on the beaches were being circulated.
Modi informed that they have told the lifeguards patrolling the beach to keep it simple and at most pour sea water on the affected portion of the skin, which will help remove the tentacles that are stuck on the skin and ask the victim to head to the nearest government hospital. "Rubbing anything on the skin can cause the tentacles to go deeper into the skin and aggravate the problem. Since the effect of venom is different on people depending on age, body weight and other factor hence the best way to deal is to send those affected by the sting to the nearest hospital," he said.
Pradip Patade, co-founder of MLOM said that to counter misinformation being spread on social media they have prepared a detailed poster and were circulating it over social media. "It's sad to see that BMC has yet not taken this issue seriously and ideally they should have organised a meeting to ensure safety of visitors to the beach. We are ready to help them with all information," he said adding that the popular beaches like Girgaum, Juhu, Aksa should have proper boards informing visitors to be careful and avoid venturing in the waters for time being.
HELPING HAND
- Volunteers of the Marine Life Of Mumbai, a group of marine enthusiasts, are creating awareness in lifeguards about basic dos and donts if people get stung
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