Despite 33 lifeguards deployed by the BMC at seven beaches in the city, Mumbai on an average witnesses at least four deaths every year due to drowning.
Despite 33 lifeguards deployed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at seven beaches in the city, Mumbai on an average witnesses at least four deaths every year due to drowning.
It took an NGO to file a Public Interest Litigation in 2006 to improve the situation after cases of drowning were reported. Following directives from the Bombay High Court to the Government of Maharashtra, the state entrusted the civic body in September 2006 to look after the safety of people visiting beaches.
Despite this, only 23 additional life guards have been appointed on a contractual basis to man seven beaches.
Spots where guards are present do not have a proper set up in place. Aksa beach is the only one that has a watch tower, that too built by an NGO.
“Our medical officers take rounds to check if lifeguards are on duty. Besides that we do not have a separate mechanism to keep a check on them,” said deputy executive health officer Kiran Harsora. There are no mandatory provision on the number of visits health officers have to take to the site, he said.
Due to lack of expertise, the department tried to share the responsibility with other departments. “We requested the fire department and the disaster cell to look after it, but they have expressed their inability,” said Harsora.
The fire department, which has 100 swimmers, gives basic training and advanced rescue training in Goa. “They are basically firemen and are stationed at fire stations close to flood-prone area. They cannot be part of a lifeguard team to man beaches,” said Avinash Sawant, chief fire officer.
The health department has now decided to outsource the work. The department has identified five beaches where agencies will be appointed. Tenders amounting to approximately over Rs1crore will be floated in two months. “We plan to deploy 45 lifeguards at these places and they will have to meet standards set by the National Institute of Water sports,” said Harora.
The beaches selected for the pilot project are Juhu, Madh, Aksa, Marve and Gorai. The agencies that will be appointed will have to put an entire system in place that would include installing watch towers, motor boat, life jackets among
other things.
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