26 November,2020 06:19 AM IST | Mumbai | The Editorial
This picture has been used for representational purposes
A 28-year-old man drowned in a lake in Vasai West recently. Reports quoted the police as saying that the man had gone for a walk near the lake, and he drowned as he went for a swim.
In another report a couple of days earlier, this paper had highlighted a tribute meet for a young man who lost his life after drowning in a waterbody as he was standing on the edge of a waterfall. According to witnesses, he was dragged away in a whirlpool and drowned.
We hear and read about such incidents in the monsoon especially when people are larking about on picnics.
What this shows, once again is that people either underestimate the potential danger of going swimming in these waters or they overestimate their prowess at being able to tackle any problem if it arises. Sometimes, it is a combination of both.
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Considering the pandemic restrictions, we also need to get our entertainment or time outdoors, in unconventional ways. Being close to nature, in the outdoors, is particularly good. This is more so in these times when doctors have said that being outside is much safer than sitting or meeting people in confined spaces.
While the wisdom in choosing entertainment or winding down is not in question, going swimming or walking too close to waterbodies like lakes, ponds or waterfalls certainly is.
Let us say it again - you simply cannot combat this force of nature. There is also a deceptive calm on the surface, people simply cannot fathom the tides, currents or even the depth of the waters.
These tragedies seem so much more difficult to accept since they could be easily avoided. If this pandemic has taught us something, it is that safety comes first. Let us apply this to every facet of our lives, outbreak or no outbreak.
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