We need to have a healthy respect for natural water bodies

There is a consistent pattern of flood reports on news sites about many people drowning after Holi celebrations. From Mumbai, where the focus is on Dadar-Mahim beach, to Gujarat, Odisha and Kolkata, we have reports of people reveling in the water losing their lives.

This is usually how tragedies unfold. After getting colored on themselves after playing Holi, the youth decide to roam in the water bodies. Many people think that a quick dip will help wash out the color. That’s when they underestimate the depth or currents. Some people slip and fall into the water while trying to remove the color from their limbs. Still others drowned trying to save their friends and comrades who were being swept away.

There are boys and girls who finish playing Holi but decide to hang out on the beach to continue the fun. While it was safe to stay on the sand, they concluded that the water would be more fun and made their way towards the shoreline, gathering courage and going further inland. Some people sat on slippery rocks, confident and not realizing at all how precarious it was.

People need to wash colors at home, they cannot go to water bodies to wash Holi colors and they should not stray. There is no pleasure in wading into water whose depth or currents may be doubtful; one can obtain the same pleasure on land at a very safe distance from the water.

Families should reinforce messages such as not succumbing to peer pressure and foolish dares, as youth may inspire others to get into the water. At some beaches in urban environments, signs and sirens warning revelers not to enter the water can prove to be a minor deterrent.

Stopping these deaths will require massive awareness, intentionality and some punitive measures. Ultimately, mindsets must change as people become aware of the dangerous potential of deceptively calm water.