BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to start an extensive exercise including public awareness campaign to prevent deaths due to drowning in rivers, canals waterbodies and sea.
According to official data, over 9,000 people have lost their lives due to drowning in Odisha in the last five years with majority of the victims being children and youth. Negligence and unsafe conditions at ponds, open wells, hazardous reservoirs, river ghats, seas, waterfalls, and tourist spots have been identified as major factors behind such incidents.
A meeting chaired by chief secretary Anu Garg and attended by DG of Fire Services Sudhansu Sarangi, additional relief commissioner Padmanabh Behera and other senior officials on Thursday discussed strategies for prevention of drowning deaths. It was decided that coordinated steps will be taken to ensure safety at vulnerable waterbodies, strengthen rescue preparedness and undertake large-scale awareness drives to prevent such incidents.
Garg directed identification of drowning zones and hazardous locations through data analysis. The state government will start safety audit of waterbodies, deployment of lifeguards at high-risk sites, installation of warning signage and community-level awareness drives, especially targeting children and youth who constitute the majority of victims. This apart, at least two local lifeguards will be given training in each GP.