Are Karachi Beaches Safe Enough for Recreation ?

Day before yesterday, 12 peoples drowned at Hawks Bay, Karachi when reportedly they were swept away by a strong wave while they were inside water. Yester month according to Edhi resources 33 people were drowned at beaches in Karachi whose bodies were recovered. That tells a sorry state of beach recreations in the city and needs necessary attention given to safety measures first before considering beaches any ideal venues for entertainment.

Although, the Sindh Government imposed ban in May 2017 through Section 144 for wading/ swimming / diving in the sea, however police and other relevant authorities rightly complain that the  sizable number of peoples that head to beaches during public holidays making it impossible for them to control the situation with their limited resources. Not long away, during 3-day Eid vacations in 2014 some 42 people were drowned to death in various beach spots of city including Sea View, Paradise Point and Hubco Beach strips. It figures out one hand that largely it is in holidays or weekends when people rush to go inside the sea and also the growing death tolls with each passing day on the other. That compels to analyze what are the reasons of these rising trend in water tragedies and in present scenario is it safe to choose beaches as picnic spots.

Topography  

First of all the beaches of Karachi are not safe for water recreation. They are not like Thailand and Maldives beaches where shoreline are steady and firm and where one can go deeper and deeper in the sea without sinking. There are traps in Karachi sea that lead to drowning incidents. Paradise Point and Cape Point have shallow water and susceptible to sinking incidents.

Oil Slicking

Dredging activities are common specially near Clifton Bach, Do Darya, Seaview, Manora where the hubs national shipping sector are not far away i.e. the Karachi Port and Port Bin Qasim. So Oil Spill at the sea is common in the sea coast alongside Karachi. Similarly tons of trash is already in the water that can harm human body causing skin and related diseases. Last week when oil slick was spotted in Clifton, the WWF- Pakistan instructed citizens to "avoid going there until water become completely free from slick".

Public Disregards

Beaches are the most accessible recreation spots in Karachi, where leisure venues are insufficient for more than 25 million population. It is however important to mention a majority of beach goers are belonged to middle class and largely from outstation of city skirts, therefore they are apparently unconcerned about the ongoing alerts in the city. A widely established reason of Beach tragedies is therefore the disregard shown by public towards warning signs set up by relevant authorities while the poorly equipped rescue service fail to respond to SOS.

Basic Amenities

There  is complete absence of garbage disposal facilities and trash can be seen strewn all over the beach often being swept away by the sea. With the exception of the Sea view, D.H.A not a single dust bins placed anywhere by authorities for trash collection. Beaches around the world offer basic facilities such as washrooms, changing facilities, public toilets, shaded benches or cabins. But in Karachi, these amenities don't exist at all.

Safety Measures

Some most important things prevailed around global beaches are missing in Karachi. The authorities must adopt a provocative approach rather than reactive on. All beaches should have first-aid stalls or cabins for emergency cases. Similarly a vigilant force of body guards stationed at their watch towers are essentials. But the city authorities are unconcerned about it.

People also must realise that the Section 144 doesn't restrict you to enjoy walking in the wet sand, witness the sunset, feel the breeze and get some sort of escapism from your routine life. What is dangerous is when they recklessly go into deep water and risk their lives.

Amongst more than a dozen beach spots in the city no beach is safe and each beach has its own dynamics and need to be dealt with separately as an individual case. So a lot more yet to be done to improve this simple leisure making it safer, cleaner and more enjoyable.

By

Editorial, Infocus