Daily Times

Sir: On June 24, I was invited to a beach picnic party at Sandspit, Karachi, by one of my relatives. I was shocked to observe that there were no safety measures taken by the authorities concerned at the beach. There were no public warning signs anywhere at the beach such as instructions and danger signs. Similarly, there was no guidance to people what precautions they should take against high tides. There were only three ill-equipped lifeguards, who belonged to a local NGO. The head lifeguard informed me that they were local fishermen and had been contracted on daily wages by the NGO, and they did not have any formal lifeguard training. They had only an inflatable tube, which they would throw in to catch a drowning person. Once the lifeguard caught or hooked the person in the tube, he would pull him to the shore. When asked how they could be contacted in an emergency, they provided a cell phone number 0344-2660833 of their incharge who was available at a roadside hotel at the road crossing at the entrance to Sandspit. On receiving the call for help, he contacts the lifeguards on a walkie-talkie and directs them to the spot where the person is drowning. Interestingly, this cell phone number and procedure was written neither in the beach huts nor on the roadside for the information of the public. Being an expert in sea survival and beach safety, I suggest the following safety tips at the beach:

If one sees anyone in trouble, one should alert the NGO lifeguards control room at Sandspit at 0344-2660833. People should swim in groups and only at a beach patrolled by lifeguards. If one gets into trouble in the sea, one should stick his hand in the air and shout for help.

People should never use inflatable equipment in strong winds or rough seas. Even a slight breeze offshore can sweep one into the sea very quickly. If one can stand, one should wade instead of swimming. One should keep hold of the board or inflatable to help one float and never try to swim directly against the rip or one can get exhausted.

Always swim parallel to the beach until free of the rip before making it to the shore.

Children must be closely watched and people should gather at an agreed meeting point in case they get separated.

Rips are strong currents that can quickly take swimmers from shallow water to deep water. Signs of a rip include discoloured, brown water caused by sand being stirred up from the seabed, foam on the water surface and debris floating out to sea.

Be careful as the tide can come in very fast. Many lifeboat and lifeguard rescues involve people being stranded by the tide.

When you are on the beach, keep a lookout for the tide’s direction and beware of how fast the water is coming in, especially if you are playing in rock pools.

SQN LDR (RETD) S AUSAF HUSAIN

Karachi