Don’t let children swim in open water bodies

As the heat wave intensified across Kashmir, the youth as well as the children are being seen taking bath and swimming to beat the heat at multiple places across the Valley, thereby putting their lives at risk. Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing the incidents of drowning especially during the peak heat season as several people have lost their lives while taking bath at different places. The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has issued an advisory, asking the people especially children to desist from swimming in open water bodies. As per the advisory, the general public especially children have been advised to refrain from bathing and swimming in open water bodies including River Jhelum and its tributaries, Dal Lake without expert guidance and supervision and protective equipment including but not restricted to life saving jackets to prevent drowning incidents. Heads of educational institutions have an added responsibility to ensure the safety of the students, who are at a higher risk of facing such mishaps during picnic. Further, local Shikara Wallas are advised to keep a close vigil in the Dal Lake to avoid any untoward incident. The people at the helm in the civil administration have to play a key role in this regard and ensure that the children are not allowed to take bath or swim in the open water body to prevent the loss of precious lives. Therefore, a proper vigil in this regard is needed to ensure that the untoward incidents are prevented.