Marina beach is extremely dangerous and not fit for swimming : coast guards.
By Sushmita Dey
Chennai: Over the last 15 days, seven people have died by drowning, four have been rescued and one is still missing off Marina Beach.
Known to be one of the dangerous beaches in Chennai, Sujan, a coast guard, said, “Because of numerous drowning cases, with police cooperation, we have decided to set up a lifeguard unit on Marina Beach.”
Sujan said that the whole rescue operation consists of outposts with mobile numbers displayed on all four sides – from D6 Anna Square to Lighthouse, 24/7 patrolling on the sand stretch, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to prevent drowning in the sea.
However, the lifeguard unit led by the Tamil Nadu Coastal Security Group will comprise fire department and rescue services personnel, fishermen, trained swimmers and Marina police stations.
Lokanathan, part of the lifeguard unit stated that “Actually, Marina beach is not good for water fun or swimming like the other beaches. Because the water is too deep and due to the peculiar topography, the waves are dumping waves, hence they’re extremely dangerous.” In addition, he said that the maximum deaths have been of teenage boys aged 16 to 18.
“To raise awareness, we will put up display boards at every 20m. Two teams have been formed – on alternate days each one of them will patrol the whole area 24 hours,” said P.Ramakrishnan, Sub-Inspector.
To strengthen the emergency mechanism, various outposts with rescue personnel have been set up, he said.
Arul, 52-years-old fishermen, said, “If there are low tides, and the body is found near the shore, then the coast guards can take care of it. But, if the body is deep into the sea, the lifeguard unit will definitely take help from us.”
“Yesterday, a boy drowned and died while bathing, but he came to the shore. So, the coast guards took care of it, he added.
With re-opening of beaches on weekends, 40 extra police personnel will be deployed additionally for safety and emergency purposes, Ramakrishanan said.
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