The official said, at present, 14 of the 34 beaches in the district have two life guards each, apart from watch towers.
After the death of five people from a Borivali family at Ratnagiri's Aare- Ware beach in June, the beaches in the district, which are popular among revelers from Mumbai will get specialised life guards and life-saving equipment. Additional manpower will also be deployed and safe swimming zones will be created.
"After the Aare- Ware drowning incidents, we decided to establish a multi-layered beach safety system consisting of life guards, captains, supervisors and beach managers... Surveys are also underway to create a profile of all beaches through surveys of bathymetry and geomorphology," said an official from the Ratnagiri district collectorate.
The official said, at present, 14 of the 34 beaches in the district have two life guards each, apart from watch towers. "We have sent a proposal to the state rural development department. According to which, 93 life guards be hired and deployed. Popular beaches like Ganpatipule, which sees 20 lakh tourist footfalls annually, will get eight lifeguards. Additional staff will also be deployed at locations like Harne, Guhagar and Malgund," he added, stating that all beaches would get search and rescue equipment like jet skis, boats, life jackets, binoculars, marking buoys, vehicles and stretchers. The Aare- Ware beach will get five lifeguards.
Another official said the beach profile and bathymetric surveys will help create demarcated safe swimming zones based on reef currents.
The official noted it was necessary for tourists and revellers to heed the warnings given by lifeguards. "They are sometimes unruly and if the lifeguards ask them to come out of the sea as it is choppy, they shift to another spot. This is difficult to prevent and monitor at beaches like Ganpatipule, which is 3-km long and has a huge tourist inflow," he stated.
Maharashtra has a 720-km coastline, including 114km in Mumbai, 127km in Thane and Palghar, 122km in Raigad, 237 km in Ratnagiri and 120km in Sindhudurg.
TIME TO ACT
February 2016 14 college students from Pune drowned at Murud near Alibag
June 2016 Two drowned at Juhu beach in Mumbai
October 2017 Six students from Pune venture into sea at Kashid in Raigad, two drown
June 2018 Five from a Borivali family drown at Aare- Ware beach in Ratnagiri, one saved
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