Cool summers in Kashmir can be a boon for many. But it has its own pitfalls. Summer means melting glaciers and roaring rivers. Three drowning incidents in less than a month have shattered the myth of cool summers and pleasant weather. An 18-year-old student died, while his father suffered injuries after the duo was swept away by an overflowing stream in Bandipora. Earlier, a three-year-old boy died after slipping into a canal in Tangmarg. While Bandipora and Tangmarg wounds were still fresh, another tragedy struck Pahalgam. A father was swept away while trying to save his son from drowning in the Lidder River. Earlier, on May 8, three youth drowned when they were washing their tent in Jhelum in Bandipora. The incidents have occurred when summer has just begun. These are not the cases in isolation. Every summer, Kashmir remains on the edge. Picnickers slipping into the river, kids drowning during swimming, or flash flooding wreaking havoc. These make banner headlines every summer in Jammu and Kashmir. Like always, after every tragedy, the authorities issue an appeal urging residents and visitors to exercise caution near rivers, canals, and other water bodies. We are fed up with hollow appeals and endless rhetoric. People want concrete steps to prevent such incidents. For the last four years, we have seen an increase in drowning incidents. After every incident, authorities go into a proactive mode and announce certain measures to prevent future incidents. If the authorities are serious, they need to take long-term steps to prevent tragedies. How long will our mothers mourn the death of dear ones? How long will our negligence snatch a breadwinner? How long will we show apathy towards such incidents? To start with, the government should deploy special rescue teams at vulnerable sites so that casualties are minimized. The government needs to identify the vulnerable spots at the river sites. Patrolling along the river beds needs to be increased to keep children and non-swimmers at bay. Swimming in rivers and streams during peak season needs to be banned or restricted. Our schools and parents, too, need to be sensitized about the summer blues. Educational institutions taking students on a picnic should counsel their kids before embarking on a journey. They should ensure that no student flouts the norms. Any violation should be dealt with strictly. Similarly, parents also need to keep their kids away from rivers and nallahs during family excursions. The government should also increase the manpower of SDRF, given the frequency of natural and man-made disasters. Like SOG and other paramilitary forces, SDRF camps should be set up at vulnerable spots for fast-track rescue operations. Hope authorities will learn lessons and take corrective steps.
A summer of drowning
