The Ganderbal district in central Kashmir is famous for its attractive destinations, and one among them is Nallah Sindh. Nallah Sindh, a major tributary to the Jehlum river flows through this district.
The water of the river is mainly used for irrigation, and generation of hydroelectricity. Besides, the water of the river is supplied for drinking to the Srinagar city through Rangil Water Treatment Plant.
But flowing very close to the highway passing through the district, Nallah Sindh is often thronged by hundreds of local people particularly during summers to beat the heat.
Among those, most of the youth throng Nallah Sindh to go for an adventure; either take a bath or try swimming and in the end many of these young men have lost their precious lives by drowning in Nallah Sindh.
Many people who come from outside the district have no idea about the level and depth of the waters in Sindh resulting in many adventures turning into tragedies.
Over the years many human lives, mostly young, have been consumed by the gushing waters of the nallah Sindh. This attractive water spot where people go to beat the heat is turning out to be a death trap.
Accidental deaths due to drowning in waterbodies particularly nallah Sindh continue to be an issue of concern for everyone including the administration here.
People mostly young men bathe in those attractive water pockets without knowing the water current or what danger awaits at the bottom of the waterbodies.
There are also incidents in rivers and canals where more than one person died, when one of the victims (without taking precaution) tried to save a friend caught in the water current or slushy bottom of the waterbody.
There is a need for an awareness campaign on deaths by drowning on a par with the awareness conducted to combat road accident deaths. It is also the responsibility of parents to advise their children to avoid such misadventures where they can lose their precious lives.
There is a long stretch of the nallah Sindh where people go for swimming and it is impossible for the local police to deploy their men along the stretch. However the responsibility of the administration is to ensure that safety measures are in place.
In view of frequent loss of precious lives due to drowning incidents in Nallah Sindh and as a part of precautionary measure, the district administration Ganderbal need now to impose restrictions on swimming/bathing in Nallah Sindh & its tributaries in Ganderbal.
However, apart from the ban and safety measures at tourist places, the administration should make available all necessary life saving equipments with the concerned police personal and local volunteers who have played a major part during such rescue operations, so that the human lives can be saved.
The administration should also erect warning boards at such places, and fence the accident prone areas.
Officials here said that in most instances, the drowning spots were not tourist spots.
The administration has also urged the people to avoid going for any adventure in Nallah Sindh without any training, safety gears and expertise.