Every year, several tragic incidents of drowning occur at Karachi beaches due to rough weather conditions at the sea during the monsoon season. Right now the situation is dangerous as sea water has inundated the Sandspit in coastal area with high waves of almost ten feet posing a threat to the lives of the citizens.  

Though the authorities have alerted the masses and have also closed down the roads leading to the dangerous spots, yet it has been noticed that picnickers are sneaking into these dangerous beaches which is a matter of serious concern.' The citizens should stay away from the sea and must avoid to go close to the water, police officials advised. Last month, six persons   drowned at Hawke's Bay  and Turtle beach in Thatta in two different incidents of drowning. Earlier, several deaths were reported due to drowning in the months of June and May. 

In one incident, two friends, who had gone to Sea View along with relatives to enjoy Eid, drowned instead, turning the mirth-making into a tragedy for their families. It is very unfortunate that such incidents do occur on regular basis every year, when there is a rush at the beaches. During the last two years, the cases were absent but it was due to restrictions on sea bathing and visiting Sea Beaches due to corona pandemic. After the corona pandemic, the ban on sea bathing is still intact, but there a bit relaxation in other restrictions and  this was the first time, people were let to enjoy the Eid festivities at Sea Beach but going inside water was still inhibited.  And it is in fact, the duty of the Beach authorities and guards on duty to keep the visitors at bay from the water.  As a matter of fact, the drowning deaths at the killer beaches is something which can be prevented but the  beach authorities seem to be least bothered about these preventive strategies. It is very unfortunate that despite repeated incidents of deaths by drowning every year during the summer months at Karachi beaches, no heed is paid to the precautionary measures. 

They have become too frequent for years during the monsoon period whether it is news of multiple family members or individuals from different families losing their lives. And now after pandemic, this season again we have seen a number this incident of above-mentioned two youths, who drowned while picnicking at Sea Beach beach on Wednesday last. One body has been recovered while rescuers are searching for another body whose body is yet to be recovered.   In fact, the tragedies at  sea turn the picnics into mourning for the victims families, who go sea on the outing at the Beach when they are sucked into the deep sea by a high tide. In fact, most such incidents are reported at Gadani which is said to be one of the most dangerous beaches of the country.  But in the latest incident, the tragedy took place at Sea Beach which is relatively safe and it is seemingly due to the negligence of the Beach authorities. When one visits such spots, one is appalled at the scene of visitors who can be seen  sitting dangerously close to the sea which used to be in high tide in summer months. And that's why they   are suddenly sucked into the deep sea by mighty waves. On the other hand, the citizens too do not pay heed to the instructions aimed at their safety. The Sindh government had recently enacted a ban on bathing, swimming and fishing in the sea to avoid  drowning incidents  due to the high tides in the wake of this unpredictable season. Even, the fishermen were asked to stay away from deep waters on days when prohibited for few days. But it is ironical that the citizens violate such instructions. Gadani is one of the most dangerous beaches where several such incidents have occurred in the past. Most of these deaths were drownings and largely preventable had prudence prevailed and precaution taken. We require strong precautionary measures and ordinances to restrict people, with consequences for persons who choose to transgress those laws. Although the public will most likely object to measures such as implementing fines for swimming during prohibition season, we will be better suited to protect families from such tragedies.  The strategy to mitigate tragedies should be mani-fold. First, the authorities must establish rules and enforce them with the help of lifeguards and beach patrols. This should include fines and mandatory educational classes on learning the statistics on such tragedies. Moreover, awareness in communities about the consequences of negligent attitudes towards cheap thrills should be shared. And last but not the least, a step that would help make significant gains would be to offer swimming classes. Although these steps require planning and resources, they would put less strain on other resources later on, and help prevent mass drowning tragedies. After all, every year the beaches, canals and rivers and canals across the country are witness to deaths by drowning, the grief of the survivors often being compounded by the fact that tragedy strikes when a family or a group of friends are out on an excursion. As far as Karachi is concerned, the city administration often reacts by imposing Section 144 - which lays curbs on the assembly of people - to ban swimming in the sea.  But if the past is any guide, it will be people's access to the beach that will be curtailed through police pickets. This method has been employed since 2014, when upwards of two dozen people drowned in July during the then brief Eidul Fitr break. Even so, reports of deaths continued to trickle in that year and in the years that followed, for people make it to the coast one way or the other. It needs to be accepted that a ban is no long-term solution, and amounts to punishing the citizenry in times of electricity shortages combined with fierce temperatures. Besides, there is the perennial dearth of recreational facilities. The city must come up with long-term measures, including beefing up the number of lifeguards on duty - a task that is currently largely left to the non-governmental sector. The public-awareness campaigns have special significance because even where lifeguards are present or safety warnings have been put up, people often tend to ignore the advice of those who are aware of the dangers posed by the sea. 

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 17 2022

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