Tamil Nadu special unit helps reduce drowning incidents in Bhavani

Chennai, Feb 14 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Police special unit constituted in February 2023 to prevent drowning incidents in the Bhavani River has yielded results.

The unit, Mettupalayam Life Guards constituted last year has a Sub-Inspector and ten policemen. The unit members receive training from the NDRF.

The Coimbatore district police have said that the unit was constituted when several incidents of drowning were reported in 2021, 2022 and in early 2023.

As per reports, in 2021, 26 people died by drowning in the Bhavani River while in 2022, a total of 20 people died. In 2023 also six people died. The Coimbatore district police immediately then constituted the team.

After the constitution of the special team, there has been a drastic fall in the number of drowning cases. In 2023, the number of drowning related deaths in River Bhavani have come down.

Police have found that most of those who died were not from Mettupalayam and Sirumugai areas, and were not familiar with the river. Sudden rise in the water level in Bhavani often led to the drowning.

The Coimbatore police said that the ten-member force has reduced the drowning numbers by manning the banks of the river and informing people on the pitfalls and dangers.

A senior officer of Coimbatore police told IANS that the drowning of 26 people in 2021, 20 people in 2022 had come down to six in 2023 and no deaths have been reported so far.

Police said that the team had rescued 914 people from drowning when the water level rose in the River Bhavani. It has also saved 13 persons with suicide tendencies who had jumped into river Bhavani.