Mumbai: This monsoon, six people have been reported dead and 27 rescued at the city’s beaches. To prevent loss of lives, the fire brigade department has decided to deploy additional 45 jawans on six popular beaches. At present, the beaches have a well-trained team of 93 lifeguards.
The extra security will be added on the days of high tide, weekends and public holidays, as well as on red and orange alert days.
The six beaches are Girgaon, Dadar, Juhu, Versova, Aksa and Gorai. Though popular among citizens and tourists, they are death traps for those who ignore the warning signs.
The BMC has appointed Drishti Lifesaving Pvt Ltd, a private agency to provide lifeguard services and safeguard the beaches from 2019. As per BMC data, from January 2019 to July 2022, lifeguards at these beaches have saved nearly 188 people from drowning.
Most of the cases have been reported on Juhu beach, as it has 11 entry points, making it difficult for lifeguards to control the crowd, a civic official said.
Chief fire officer Hemant Parab said, "Currently, 93 lifeguards have been deployed on the beaches, we will appoint an extra 45 trained staff on red and orange alert days, weekends, public holidays and high tide days."
The BMC has already restricted entry for the general public on orange and red alert days, allowing them between 6 am to 10 am only.
