Karachi beaches: Who’s responsible for saving drowning citizens?
May 23, 2017
KARACHI: The recent tragedy, claiming six lives in drowning incidents across different beaches of the metropolis, brought to the fore the dismal state of safety at the city’s beaches.
The unsuspecting citizens, to beat the scorching heat throng to the seaside, not knowing this could be the last visit of their life.
Every year the beaches engulf several people into their depths, bringing only one question to mind: Who is responsible for the beaches in the city?
According to a rough estimate, there are more than seven million visitors annually to the beaches across the city.
The responsibility of saving citizens falls collectively onto the shoulders of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Clifton Cantonment Board, Karachi Post Trust and other local bodies.
There is a momentary stir following a drowning tragedy, which awakens these institutions -- but to no avail at the end.
Former Commissioner Karachi Shoaib had inaugurated a rescue centre to prevent tragedies in 2014. It was claimed at the time that it would remain open for 24 hours.
The 48 lifeguards under the KMC remain quite irregular and most of them are fishermen living near the seaside.According to the Clifton Cantonment Board, it is the responsibility of 10 lifeguards to serve at the sea view, however, they hardly ever have been spotting performing their duties.
