Udupi: Monsoon Tragedy - District Records 14 Deaths in 20 Days
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (VM)
Udupi, Jul 5: With monsoon lashing the district with all its fury, the cases of deaths due to drowning have also increased alarmingly.
In just 20 days, the district has recorded 14 cases of drowning, either in natural water bodies or artificial floods. Of them, nine were said to be students.
The first incident took place on June 16, where three MIT Manipal students went on a late-night adventure in a boat. Two of them died while the third person escaped unscathed.
On July 1, four youngsters belonging to the same family were drowned in a water tank at Hattiangadi. A man, his son and three others fell into a pond near Kanyana Kudlu on June 20 and two girls drowned near a quarry at Kota on June 30.
To name a few more, Shekar Poojary from Kandloor drowned on June 17, and 4-year-old boy Sandhesh was washed away in a drain at Kalthodu village in Byndoor.
Ponds, manmade ditches, wells and drains found across the district turn into a death traps during monsoons. Children have been the main victims, as they are usually oblivious to the dangers of bathing in rivers at this time of the year.
Prior to the beginning of monsoons, when construction activities are carried out at a brisk pace, ditches and holes are created due to digging. Rainwater gets collected into these ditches during monsoons, thus threatening the lives of many innocents, especially children who cannot guage their depths.
District administration should take strict action in the matter and adopt necessary precautions by closing wells, ponds and manmade ditches, and installing danger signs at sensitive spots. The citizens too should beware while venturing out for activities like fishing, and also warn their children against venturing out to play in water.