NEW DELHI: On Sunday, five boys aged between 17-20 years, residents of Salarpur village in Noida, drowned in the Yamuna while immersing an idol, bringing the number of people who have died in water-related calamities, including in the river, this year in Delhi to 109. Eighteen people were rescued. Most of the victims have been males aged between 13 and 25 years. Drowning incidents are usually reported from the DND Flyway, north Delhi’s Wazirabad and northeast Delhi’s Khadar area. TimesviewThe statistics show that one person drowns roughly every two days in the city. This is a worryingly high number. Is it because on several occasions juveniles are unaccompanied by adults? Or, is it because there are no professionals to watch over and rescue anybody in distress? Authorities should find out the causes and take appropriate measures.The river can be dangerous, especially during the rainy season, but people recklessly venture into the river, for a swim perhaps or to immerse idols. Hunting for bodies of drowned victims is time consuming and requires the cops to comb the lengthy course of the Yamuna across the city. As per data accessed by TOI, 14 deaths were reported this month up to August 29. The highest monthly toll came in May with 23 deaths. There were 20 drownings in July and 19 in June. Anil Banka, district magistrate (East), said there was an adequate number of boats and divers to attend to emergency calls which are usually 1-2 calls per day, in some cases we even manage to rescue. “The problem is that despite warnings, people still get into the water for various reasons. We make special pleas during the monsoons, but all in vain,” said Banka. Delhi Police also carries out boat patrolling along the river and in places like Yamuna Khadar, Sonia Vihar and Wazirabad. In northeast Delhi, where there is a dense forest on the riverbanks, artificial lakes are created during the monsoons or when the water level rises. Recently, police decided to install signboards to ensure children and youths did not go to bathe or swim in these ponds. “In drowning cases, it is important that everything be done to save someone’s life in the golden hour after an SOS call is received,” said a police officer. “However, we usually receive calls about mishaps after a delay, many times because people can’t spot the victim or decide that it is time to seek assistance. For every call we receive, we summon the divers from the government’s rescue teams. In some cases, even NDRF is roped in. Earlier, we wrote to the civic authorities requesting them to construct a wall along the Khadar belt so that criminals don’t use the forest there as a safe haven. Such a wall would also prevent people from going into the Yamuna.” In August, the Yamuna reached the danger mark of 205.3 metres after heavy rains in the catchment areas upstream. People living in the low-lying areas were evacuated and moved to higher ground. Normally, the discharge rate from Hathini Kund into the Yamuna is 352 cusecs, which is equivalent to a discharge of 28.3 litres per second.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/over-100-lives-swallowed-in-just-8-months/articleshow/93889425.cms