THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Unguarded beaches of Varkala - the iconic international beach tourism destination- are turning fatal for tourists and visitors. The death of a 52-year-old Russian tourist, who drowned at Vettukada Beach in Varkala on Wednesday, has sparked concern about the overall safety and security of the destination.
Eroding and collapsing cliffs, inadequate lifeguards, and lack of watch towers and proper lighting are making the destination highly dangerous for visitors.
With the flow of domestic tourists increasing exponentially at Varkala’s main beach at Papanasam and the introduction of water sports, international tourists arriving at the destination are moving to other beaches at Varkala that are unguarded.
According to tourism stakeholders, before the pandemic there used to be around 25 lifeguards at Varkala and now the number has come down to 11 or 12. It is learned that after the pandemic, the flow of domestic tourists increased manifold which forced foreign tourists to migrate to other serene beaches in Varkala. “Earlier, Papanasam and Black Beach were the two beaches frequented by tourists. Now tourists are exploring more beaches - Vettakada, Edava, Arivaalam and Vallakadavu. With the current strength, the lifeguards are unable to guard the Papanasam Beach,” said Lenin R, joint secretary of, Varkala Tourism Development Association.
He said that around four or five drowning deaths and numerous accidents happened at Varkala in the past year. “We have taken this up with the government and the tourism minister. To reduce accidents and make the destination safe, the department should deploy more lifeguards,” he added.
According to the tourism police at Varkala, the destination requires more lifeguards and tourism police. “We have identified vulnerable points and have reported to the authorities. Our higher authorities have taken this up with the government. More tourism police should also be deployed,” an official said.
Sanjay Sahadevan, advisor to Varkala Tourism Development Association, said that there should be strategically located watch towers so that lifeguards can monitor the beaches. “Also there should be an emergency response system, and when such incidents occur ambulance should be able to access the location,” he said.
Safety goes for A toss
The death of a 52-year-old Russian tourist, who drowned at Vettukada Beach in Varkala on Wednesday has sparked concern about the overall safety and security of the destination. According to tourism stakeholders, before the pandemic there used to be around 25 lifeguards at Varkala and now the number has come down to 11 or 12. According to the tourism police at Varkala, the destination requires more lifeguards and tourism police. Sanjay Sahadevan, advisor to Varkala Tourism Development Association, said that there should be strategically located watch towers so that lifeguards can monitor the beaches