COIMBATORE: Coimbatore District (Rural) police have identified 19 places on the Bhavani river stretch between Mettupalayam and Sirumugai as vulnerable places that are leading to drowning fatalities and planned to install an early warning system to alert the rise of water level in the river.
The District Police Superintendent V Badrinarayanan on Friday appreciated the lifeguard unit which prevented 11 suicide attempts and more than 650 people from entering the dangerous places in the river bed, said they are going to install an early warning system at the 19 places to alert people about the water release from the Pillur dam to the Bhavani River.
"To ensure the safety of the people at Bhavani River bed in Mettupalayam and Sirumugai areas in Coimbatore district, we have mapped the river route and the vulnerable places on the river stretch. As many as 19 points were mapped and the lifeguard unit is consistently monitoring the places to prevent public entry. In many places, we have places warning boards. Meanwhile, we have been planning to install an early warning alert system at the 19 places. Whenever the water level is increasing in the river, the alarm will go off automatically and will alert the people to walk out of the river," Badrinarayanan added.
Following the deaths of two ITI students and three women in two separate incidents in Bhavani River near Mettupalayam and Sirumugai in February 2023, the Coimbatore rural police formed a 'Lifeguards' team to prevent deaths at the river.
Bhavani River falls under the three police station limits Karamadai, Mettupalayam and Sirumugai, covering around 20 villages in the southern part of the district. The river often receives sudden water surge once the water is released from the Samayapuram check dam. Though there is an early warning system at Mettupalayam, it does not help people throughout the river stretch for around 40 km up to the Sirumugai border. More than 50 people drowned in the river in the last three years.
"The members of the lifeguards unit were given life jackets, ropes, lifebuoys, headlights, torch lights and other equipment to rescue the people trapped in the river. Also, they would be given a specialized uniform like state disaster response force to identify the team like a special unit," Badrinarayanan added.