Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Saving lives is all in a day’s work for them

Photo: S. Mahinsha

ENSURING SAFETY: Lifeguards of Kerala Tourism keep a vigil on the tourists who ventured into the sea near the Black Beach in Varkala.

Thiruvananthapuram: They have neither the glamour nor the fan following like that of the Baywatch team. But, the lifeguards of Kerala Tourism are making their presence felt in the major beaches of the State and have saved over 3,500 tourists from drowning.

Set up 21 years ago with just 11 personnel at the beach resort in Kovalam to curb increasing incidents of drowning, the blue-uniformed lifeguards have become part and parcel of major beaches in Kerala.

These life-savers are on vigil from dawn to dusk to check the more adventurous of the holiday-makers from straying into dangerous areas and venturing too far into the sea.

The safety ensured by them has made the authorities extend the service to more beaches and to increase the strength of the group.

With the recruitment of 100 more personnel, the number of lifeguards has gone up to 143.

Apart from Kovalam, Shanghumughom, Veli and Varkala, the lifeguards are now present on the beaches at Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Malappuram and Kasaragod.

“We could save nearly 3,500 tourists from drowning over the last 21 years. A person in distress has to be rescued within three to four minutes and they have always risen to the occasion,” says S. Chandran Nair, trainer and chief of the Lifeguard Services.

Lifeguards S. Ravi and M. Sainudeen could rescue a 27-year-old French tourist, Kritsy Jones, from drowning off Black Beach near Thiruvambady in Varkala around 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

“The good words and appreciation from tourists like Ms. Jones is what we get. Many make it a point to jot down our timely intervention and leave their address with us,” says Mr. Ravi, who has saved the lives of over 200 tourists at Kovalam and Varkala during his 17 years of service.

“It is domestic tourists who are tough to handle. Foreign tourists readily obey our instructions.

“There were instances when even lifeguards from abroad had to be rescued,” says Mr. Sainudeen.

Though yet to find a place on the permanent rolls of Kerala Tourism, the lifeguards get a daily wage of Rs.240.

Insurance coverage, modern life-saving equipments, and water scooters for speedy intervention remain dreams for these life-savers.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Call to relax helmet rule
Saving lives is all in a day’s work for them
Rs.1 crore each for Alappuzha, Kollam
UDF to continue campaign
Welfare scheme for shop workers
Cloud cover obscures ‘biggest moon of the year’
Women’s panel for altering caste assertion norms
Stance on domestic violence deplored
Spirit gang busted: police
B.Ed. trial allotment
3,000 Akshaya centres this year
Centre hailed for sanctioning IISER
In Thiruvananthapuram today

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu