PURI: IN the wake of alarming drowning deaths in the sea along Odisha coastline, International Lifeguards Association has come forward to train lifeguards in Puri so that they will be able to conduct rescue operations robustly.
On Wednesday, seven foreign experts imparted training to 45 lifeguards in Puri sea. Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi said the association had taken permission for conducting the special training session. The lifeguards in Puri, where hundreds of tourists visit everyday, are being imparted training on specialised skills, use of modern equipment, administration of first aid during rescue operations and spreading awareness among people intending to take bath in the sea. Between 2016 and 2018, about 1,432 drowning deaths were reported along the State’s 480 km coastline, sources said.
The visitors are mostly unaware of the sea current leading to loss of lives due to drowning, the trainers said. Experienced trainers Falvia McBride, Guilremo Navarro, Jonathan Robinson and Amy McCormick of California, Vasili Plegi of Florida, Mark Scully of Australia and Paul Hawkins of the United Kingdom imparted training to lifeguards.
Blu Flag tag: Denmark-based international body FEE informed the State Coastal Zone Management Authority (SCZMA) that the 1 km- stretch from Digabareni to Chaitanya Chowk and Nilachal Ashok to Bankimuhan each will be issued blue flag pilot certificate.
The officials of SCZMA inspected the entire Puri beach. Sources say 13 beaches of the country would be issued certificates for possessing required infrastructure for the purpose. This blue fag certificate is an international tag which would boost eco-tourism and more foreign tourists would flock Puri beach. A team of SCZMA experts and scientists, led by its nodal officer Ananta Kumar Sahu, noted environmentalist Jagannath Bastia and oceanographer P K Panigrahi inspected the beach. After approval from the State Government, the proposal would be sent to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the official said.