Perched on top of the natural caves, the group of four posed for the mandatory selfie. Minutes ago, they had walked past the yellow ‘No Selfie Zone’ signage at Querim beach in North Goa and headed towards the rocky area. Just then, a wave knocked them down and pulled them into the sea. All four – three of them minors — drowned.
With an ambitious aim of curbing such incidents and bringing beach deaths down to zero, Goa is rolling out new initiatives and bolstering old ones – from a squad of trained dogs to assist lifeguards in rescue operations to the use of “artificial intelligence” for surveillance and information sharing to reviving awareness programmes.
But there are challenges – people jeopardizing their safety for the perfect selfie, swimming under the influence of alcohol, or venturing into areas clearly marked unsafe.
At least 92 people have drowned and 5,565 have been rescued at Goa’s beaches and water bodies since 2008, according to data compiled by Drishti Marine, a state-appointed private lifeguard agency. Of the 92 incidents, 43 have taken place in the last six years. Earlier this month, a Russian national had drowned while swimming at the same Querim beach where the four were killed.
The agency says that a year before it began operations, 200 drowning cases were reported in Goa in 2007. Since then, though the number of tourists has increased, the number of annual drowning cases has come down.
With the monsoon approaching, when ocean currents are stronger, the state government, in consultation with Drishti Marine, recently announced a spate of initiatives. “We have to adopt new technologies and innovations. There was a tragic incident some days ago when some people tried to take selfies in a ‘no-selfie zone’. Their unfortunate deaths reflect on tourism and safety in the state,” Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said recently. “We want tourists to come to Goa, but they have to be responsible and adhere to beach safety guidelines.”
‘Paw’ squad
A ‘paw-squad’ of 11 adopted dogs, comprising nine Indian mongrels, a labrador and a mixed breed, aged between 11 and 19 months, is being trained by Drishti Marine. The 26-month training programme includes swimming, spotting a person in distress, rescue techniques and search-and-rescue operations in rocky areas. Once trained, the dog squad will be deployed on high-density beaches with the most footfall, and subsequently on less crowded ones.
Arjun Shaun Moitra, an expert dog trainer roped in for the programme, said the dogs would add an additional dimension to lifesaving efforts – especially for surf rescues, rescue efforts in rocky areas, and locating missing children on beaches.
“Dogs have a survival instinct which enables them to take the safest route back to the shore while towing a victim, thereby reducing the rescue time and effort,” he said. “The dogs are outfitted with a harness and rescue tube and are being trained to spot a victim in distress in the water, swim to the victim, enable him to grab the rescue tube and swim back to shore with the victim in tow.” He said each dog has a dedicated handler.
Moitra said it would be another year before the dogs can be deployed.
“We are training them to be more obedient to the commands of lifeguards and in patrolling. It has been observed that people on the beaches are more responsive and take instructions seriously when lifeguards are accompanied by a dog on a leash,” he said.
Ashwin Ghag, sector head of the Calangute-Baga stretch and one of the most experienced lifeguards in Goa, said the move will help: “Dogs have more stamina. They will help in spotting someone from a distance and reducing response time.”
Tourism department officials said the Coast Guard in Italy also trains dogs for rescue operations on beaches.
AI tech
Also in the offing are two artificial intelligence-based systems – a self-driving robot named AURUS and an AI-powered monitoring system called TRITON.
Aimed at increasing surveillance and crowd management, AURUS has been deployed on a pilot basis at Miramar beach for assistance when it needs to be closed. The robot has been developed to assist lifeguards by patrolling non-swim zones and alerting tourists during high tide by making announcements in multiple languages. It can carry a 100-kg payload and doubles up as a logistics support vehicle.
“The idea is that the robot can carry first-aid kits and plant a red flag on the beach in the future,” said Navin Awasthi, CEO of Drishti Marine.
TRITON is in its testing phase and has been deployed at Baina, Velsao, Benaulim, and Galgibag beaches in South Goa, and Morjim in North Goa. It will scan non-swim zones, identify and transfer information to lifeguards, and help them identify tourists entering the water during high tide and in danger-prone areas. The plan is to roll out 100 TRITON and 10 AURUS units on beaches of Goa in the coming months.
Awareness initiatives, ‘no-selfie’ zones
More than 450 lifeguards are deployed on Goa’s coast, which includes 39 beaches, Dudhsagar waterfalls and Mayem lake. On popular beaches such as Baga, Calangute and Colva, an average of 22 lifeguards have been posted.
Lifeguards say that although authorities have put up boards with warnings to deter visitors from taking selfies on rocky areas and cliffs along the beaches, and have demarcated ‘no-swim zones’ by planting red flags, people still put themselves in danger. Officials said that some influencers recently posted about a new cliff jumping spot near Dudhsagar waterfalls, driving footfall to a prohibited area and leaving tourists vulnerable to accidents.
Amit Digambar Mahale, a lifeguard and the sector head of Querim-Mandrem area, said the recent drowning incident at Querim occurred at the rocky stretch where a ‘no-selfie zone’ sign had been put up. “Tourists ignore warnings and climb the rocks to take pictures. Querim is a relatively quiet beach, but it has lately become famous due to photos of its picturesque natural caves coming up on social media,” said Mahale.
“When the tide changes, the current is too strong and waves can reach a height of over 3 metres. The sea may appear calm, but within seconds, a big wave can pull someone in. Since rocks are slippery, it can turn fatal,” he said.
Officials said that from January 2022 to February 2023, beaches in North Goa accounted for the highest number of rescues by lifeguards, with 167 rescue operations being conducted in waters off Calangute beach, followed by 113 rescues at Baga and 43 rescue operations at Arambol beach. In South Goa, Palolem had the most rescues with 25 rescue operations, followed by 18 rescues at Colva and six at Benaulim.
Ashwin Ghag, sector head of Calangute and Baga, said tourists often tread into the sea in an inebriated state.
“Drunk tourists sit close to the high tide line, often at night, when beach safety patrol is on duty and lifeguards are not present. It is difficult to spot them when they drown, since they cannot raise their arms due to their inebriated state. Then there are people who swim beyond safety zones and risk getting drowned when rip currents are strong,” he said.
“Our goal is to achieve zero drowning. Kisi ka bhi jaan nahi jana chahiye (no one should drown). We have marked areas on the beaches with flags and designated safe zones for swimming where fewer rip currents occur. But, people do not pay heed to the instructions,” said Ghag.
Officials said an awareness initiative – Swim with Lifesavers – which was first launched in March 2021 to create awareness, impart education and provide tips about swimming in the sea, while encouraging individuals to learn to respect deep blue, is being revived. The 60-minute programme offers a guided swim session and aims to create awareness about sea safety.
