Yet another drowning death in Baga Goa

Yet another drowning death in Baga Goa With at least one or two drowning deaths per week Goa is increasingly gaining notoriety for the danger on its beaches. The tourist season is set to roll in at the start of the month in the Indian state of Goa. The monsoon fury at sea is slowly fading away. Beach waves are lashing the shore at a galloping but still much slower pace. The sea water is choppy. Swimming in the turbulent water is inviting trouble. Numerous Indian tourists from various parts of the country invariably fall into the trap of just dipping their feet in the sea water or swimming in the shallow beach waters and end up getting dragged in by the undercurrent, only to be engulfed by the furious monsoon waves. The alarming regularity of deaths by drowning in Goa has been a cause of concern. The small state known for its silvery beaches has gained notoriety for the ills of tourism like drugs, rave parties, sex tourism and mismanagement of garbage. It can now add one more to its list -- tourist drowning on the Goan beaches. But who is to be blamed for the deaths on the Goan beaches? One thing is sure; to man the entire 105-kilometer, or 65-mile coastline during the off season is a Herculean task for the tourism department. Most of the life guards employed by the tourism department are on daily wages. Around 69 lifeguards, deployed at 30 Goan beaches had gone on strike to demand their services be regularized. And during the tourism season, which starts in November and ends in the month of March, life guards have an uphill task. The grievance of the life guards is the lack of safety and rescue equipment provided by the department which complicates matters when they undertake rescue operations at sea. Most of the deaths occurring in Goa have been Indian tourists coming to Goa for a monsoon holiday and also drowning deaths of Indians during the peak tourism season. The most notorious deaths are on the Calangute beach and also to some extent in Colva in South Goa. Figures show that around 200 lives have been lost due to drowning in the last four years. Tourists are drawn to Goa to enjoy the sun, surf and sand - that is the way Goa is generally projected on the tourism scene. Swimming on Goan beaches is a pleasurable exercise. Goan beachside hotels have their own private beach swimming pools meant to be exclusively used by their clients. Tourists coming to Goa are drawn towards swimming in the sea. Their folly is that they don't realize that swimming in the sea requires a disciplined approach and a complete mastery over swimming. Beaches are deceptive -- serene on the outside but with strong undercurrents which can pull you away from the shore. Even a good swimmer should remember that swimming in the sea and the pool is as different as chalk and cheese. Coming to the rainy season, Fisherman pull up their canoes into the fishing house as fishing activity comes to a standstill in the rainy season. Now the tourism department has floated the idea of recruiting female life guards on the Goan beaches. The proposal is to recruit tough women from the fisher fold community as life guards. Besides the holiday makers from other parts of India drowning deaths have also occurred with youths taking a plunge into the sea in an intoxicated state. One restaurant owner running a temporary enterprise during the season at the beach for the last 17 years, Dominic Alfonso, says that the tourism department should train shack owners and staff to help rescue people and also provide necessary equipment, as he feels that life guards cannot control the entire coastline.