Swimming in canals proving dangerous; People urged to be cautious

Swimming in canals proving dangerous
People urged to be cautious
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 3
With the recent incident of drowning of a seven-year-old girl in a canal, the district administration has swung into action. The deputy commissioner has appealed to the people to adopt precautions while bathing in canals and rivers.

Though swimming and bathing in rivers and canals has been banned in the neighbouring states, in J&K, there is no such ban.

However, Sanjeev Verma, deputy commissioner, Jammu, told The Tribune that they were putting in maximum efforts to save precious lives by checking drowning incidents.

“We can’t put a ban on such practice as the rivers and canals are too long and it is impossible to keep a check on defaulters. So, we have been appealing the people for not allowing their children to swim in deep water bodies,” said Verma.

He hoped that their efforts would yield results in a short period. “We are going to launch a campaign in this regard. The administration has decided to publish advertisements in newspapers. Besides, we will also install notice boards appealing to the public for not allowing their children to swim in canals and rivers at some prominent places in the city and nearby villages,” he added.

Terming it a serious issue, he said the administration would also take suggestions from the public so that risk could be minimised. Another senior bureaucrat said the people should play an important role in this issue otherwise there was no method to keep a check on it.

“Those who don’t know swimming should avoid going near the canals and rivers, especially during the rainy season because that time the water flows at full tide and the level remains high, which normally results into tragic incidents, claiming a number of lives,” said a senior bureaucrat.

Courtesy: The Tribune