The deadly getaways near Bangalore

The deadly getaways near Bangalore


Rakshita AdyanthayaFirst Published : 04 Jun 2009 04:39:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 04 Jun 2009 08:10:17 AM IST
BANGALORE: On weekends, when people, especially youngsters, start moving out in droves to the numerous getaways near Bangalore, danger and sometimes even death is not too far behind them.
For, the many lakes and reservoirs — the chosen weekend picnic spots — are turning out to be the drowning hotspots.
On May 19, a 25-year-old Sabiulla drowned at Sampigehalli, where he had gone for a swim. On the same day, Azzam(28)and Palani(25) died while swimming in the Malathahalli Lake.
These are just two recent incidents the kind of which is becoming frequent in places like the Tippagondanahalli Reservoir, at Mekedatu at the Cauvery river’s gorge, Muthyala Madavu and other getaways.
The emergency services personnel state that in most cases it is the sheer carelessness on the part of the youngsters that leads to their death.
Talking to Express, BG Chengappa, Joint Director, Fire and Emergency Services said, “Every weekend around three deaths due to drowning are reported from the city outskirts and it’s always the youths. It’s difficult to save lives, because the information reaches the right place very late. On long weekends the number increases and by the time our rescue personnel reach the spot, they would have drowned.” Chengappa identified the open wells near Talagattapura off Kanakapura Road, KR Pura and Mekedatu as the most sensitive places. A Talagattapura police official said, “The youngsters ride to the lakes here without informing their parents or are from a different place altogether. The incident comes to light only when the locals go to fetch water or a passersby notices the vehicles and the clothes left on the lake bed.” The maximum number of drowning deaths occur to people between the age of 18 and 25.
A Rescue personnel, Ramesh said, “There is no one reason behind drowning. It could be a slippery lake bed, a swirl or the depth which pulls the swimmer down." "The locals do not take risks, but the youngsters from the city are reckless in the lakes without the knowledge of the depth of the water,” added.
In some cases it is difficult to even trace the drowned bodies. Anne Gowda, Regional Fire Officer, said, “Our rescue vans are equipped with a camera which can trace the body even when the water is about 100 feet deep. But when mishaps happen at moving water beds, it is difficult to fish out the bodies.”