In the past, peak tourist seasons in Goa were often marred by incidents of people drowning close to the beaches. These deaths happened primarily because tourists were unclear about the dangers and often went further into the sea than what was advisable. The fact that some of the tourists were too drunk to be careful did not help matters. However, thanks to an experiment — undertaken by the Goa government — during October and November, there is now a blueprint available on how to make Goa’s beaches safer.
Essentially, the experiment, which was conducted on a pilot basis, involved the use of wardens as well as the use of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) along the beaches to ensure that the movement of all tourists is well monitored and urgent rescues can be provided when needed.
“The end result was to ensure we increase focus on the lives and make sure drunkards and tourists who are not aware of swimming or rules of the sea do not venture in. This also helped in bringing some sense of order in an otherwise chaotic beach situation due to heavy footfall,” said Manohar Azgaonkar, Deputy Chief Minister and the state’s Tourism Minister. He says the government has received positive reports about the IRB personnel and beach wardens keeping a good watch.
According to statistics shared with the government, compared to the average of the last five year’s data, this tourist season alone has seen a 70 per cent increase in the number of rescues across beachfront.
Read more of this in a report by Smita Nair published in The Indian Express... (Link given below)
