Margao: With eight drowning incidents recorded in Dharbandora taluka over the past eight months, particularly among students and visitors, Kushavati district collector Egna Cleetus has ordered awareness programmes at schools and special gram sabhas to sensitise communities about the dangers of unsafe water bodies.The directives came at a meeting convened by the collector, attended by SP Tikam Singh Verma, additional collector-II Ramesh Gaonkar, the sub-divisional magistrate, mamlatdar, and BDO of Dharbandora taluka, along with village panchayat secretaries and sarpanchs.The SDM presented a detailed analysis of drowning cases reported over the past eight months, identifying 17 vulnerable points across the taluka. Major risk factors cited include lack of awareness about river conditions, alcohol consumption, picnicking in isolated areas, multiple unregulated access routes to riverbanks, and unsafe swimming activities.Cleetus directed the SDM to conduct school awareness programmes in coordination with the assistant director of education and police officers. The BDO and panchayat representatives were instructed to explore holding special gram sabhas to warn villagers about the dangers of entering unsafe water bodies.Precautionary signboards have already been installed at several locations, and regular police patrolling is under way. Further measures under consideration include structured awareness campaigns, additional warning signage, community sensitisation drives, and the demarcation of safe swimming and picnicking zones.Verma said beach police personnel have been directed to undertake regular patrolling of vulnerable locations. He also urged panchayat officials to promptly report unsafe swimming or risky activities near water bodies so that timely preventive action can be taken.
