Safety drive at quarry pits, lakes after drowning cases

Mapusa: To curb drowning incidents ahead of the monsoon, the North Goa administration has initiated a comprehensive safety drive across Bardez taluka. Acting on strict directives from sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Varsha Parab, local administration and block development officers have begun installing prominent warning signage at high-risk water bodies, including abandoned laterite stone quarries, rural lakes, and deep reservoirs.The precautionary measure comes as data reveals that sudden water-level spikes and deceptive depths of inland water bodies during the rainy season turn picnic spots into fatal traps.Key risk zones identified and fitted with, signboards urging caution include the deep quarry pits scattered across Revora, Sirsaim, Camurlim and Pirna, alongside the expansive lakes in Madel-Tivim.The administrative crackdown follows a series of tragedies in the recent past that underscore the critical danger of these unmonitored inland waters.In one such incident, a 35-year-old off-duty Goa police constable, Akash Naik, lost his life while attempting to rescue a group of youths from a deceptively calm, waterlogged quarry at Sirsaim.Similar fatal accidents involving both adventurous local youths and unsuspecting tourists have sparked urgent calls from civil society for permanent barricading.Stressing the primacy of proactive deterrence, SDM Parab noted that warning signs are crucial to alerting tourists and residents before they venture into isolated rural waters. Officials must submit comprehensive compliance reports to ensure that every designated hazard site is clearly marked.