The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Summer’s fatal attraction for youths

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Monday, Apr 14, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Summer’s fatal attraction for youths

K. Manikandan

Drowning of youths in waterbodies reported at regular intervals in suburbs

— PHOTO: K. MANIKANDAN.

IN OPERATION: Fireman searching for the body of a college student in Urapakkam recently.

TAMBARAM: Come summer vacation, youths tend to find it irresistible to stay away from lakes and tanks. Unaware of the risks involved in entering the water, youths who do not know to swim expose themselves to a serious risk. In the past week alone, two youths have drowned after they jumped into waterbodies for a swim.

The southern suburbs of Chennai have over hundred lakes and tanks in addition to ponds, temple tanks and lakes formed in abandoned stone quarries. Frolicking in the cool waters in the lakes and tanks is common for groups of school and college students during the summer vacation.

On Friday, a 15-year-old school student drowned in a lake formed in an abandoned stone quarry in Tirusulam. And a week earlier, an 18-year-old first year engineering student drowned in a temple tank in Urapakkam. And on both occasions, the victims had gone to the waterbodies to celebrate the arrival of summer vacation, police said.

These two drowning cases are not isolated, but part of a series of incidents involving students, particularly during the vacation, long or even brief periods. Last year, three students drowned in a lake formed in an abandoned quarry in Tiruneermalai coming under the Shankar Nagar police station limits.

Following that, police began to install warning boards, urging people not to venture into lakes in the stone quarries. However, the initiative was not sustained. Tiruneermalai and Tirusulam are dotted with massive lakes formed in such quarries and the depth ranges anywhere between 50 and 200 feet.

Drowning of youth in waterbodies is reported at regular intervals in the suburbs. So far this year, at least six students have drowned in waterbodies in the southern suburbs. Members of environment groups said that jumping into the water in itself was not a risk. But lakes posed hazards owing to indiscriminate and uneven mining for mud and desilting.

They pointed out initiatives on the Marina to prevent people from venturing into the surf, they said that lakes in quarries must be declared prohibitory zones and effective measures taken to sensitise all members of the society to the need for preventing such drowning incidents.

Police said that the drowning of the student in Pazhavanthangal was a warning bell and added they would revive installation of warning boards. As it was not possible to maintain vigil for each and every lake, they would consider roping in volunteers among residents living in the vicinity of lakes to warn students who came alone or in groups not to venture into waterbodies.

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