Death of three school boys brings issue to the fore
It's been a year since the state has been bifurcated and the special package announced by the former prime minister for the backward regions of north Andhra and Rayalaseema still eludes the state.
Visakhapatnam: At a time when beaches in other countries are attracting tourists round the year and the tourism authorities in those countries are giving top priority to the safety of beach visitors, the beautiful beaches of Ramakrishna, Rushikonda, Yarada, Appikonda, Manginapudi, Uppada, Suryalanka and few others have turned unsafe for tourists due to the apathy of the authorities.
In Western counties, patrolling of the beaches is done by professional lifeguards based on the weather reports of currents, waves and tides and warns the beachgoers of the impending danger.
By following the rip current chart, lifeguards use the public address system to dissuade beach visitors from getting into the waters whereas here the authorities are yet to learn lessons and utterly failed to utilise technology.
The deaths due to drowning in beaches in the state came to fore again after three students of DAV Public School, Steel Plant township area in Vizag drowned in Appikonda while swimming in the waters on July 6. The rip current, which is the main reason for drowning deaths, is not constant and normally generates during high tide and operates within a radius of 50 feet to 50 yards and the speed or power of suction could range from 5 to 8 kmph said the former head of Department of Oceanography, Andhra University, Prof OSRU Bhanu Kumar.
The rampant construction and encroachments along the beaches is the major cause for rip currents and cause for the drowning deaths, he added. Rip current is the sudden formation of water channel that can suck beach visitors.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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