mid-day editorial: This summer, exercise caution at sea

Summer in Mumbai gives photographers their Kodak moments. Some of these include long shadows across roads, trees offering succour to pedestrians, and sunbeams glancing off the shimmering waters. The most enduring though is that of young boys cooling off in sea waters.

They must do so with caution, though. Over the weekend, a 16-year-old youth drowned in the sea near the Haji Ali Dargah. The teenager had ventured into the sea for a swim along with his friends, reports stated quoting a police official as saying that Khan was pulled deep into the water during high tide. His body was later recovered by fire brigade. Police have registered a case of accidental death at Tardeo police station.

Summer is swim season in Mumbai, but unfortunately that also results in tragedies. Lifeguards at beaches across the city have spoken out in despair against obdurate revellers who go deep into the waters without paying heed to warnings and rebuffing lifeguards. Many of them do not know how to swim and think they are safe as long as they can feel the ground beneath their feet. Lifeguards are shunned, even hit or pushed back by people in the water or told to stay away and dissuaded from doing their job. Lifeguards have also spoken out in earlier reports in this paper of people dropping their phones in the water while taking pictures and then in panic trying to search for their mobiles, wading in deeper in their desperation.

These revellers overestimate their prowess or underestimate the currents and force of the water. Stay out if you do not know how to swim. Keep to extremely shallow water and do not jump into the sea even if you know swimming. The waters may look inviting and calm, but that may be deceptive as so many have discovered to their peril.

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