Every weak, more than 1.5 million picnickers visit Karachi beaches and picnic points, including Sands Pit, Hawkesbay, French Beach, Paradise Point, Cape Montes and Mubarak Village, covering approximately 40 kilometres of the popular beach front.
The Rescue Centre Hawkesbay has only 56 lifeguards deployed at 12 different checkpoints along the Hawkesbay beach to ensure safety of picnickers. The Rescue Centre is working under the fire brigade department of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK).
"It is difficult for the CDGK's lifeguards to meet the requirements with limited resources. However, they are performing well. Last weekend eleven casualties were reported due to lack of safety," said a CDGK's lifeguard, requesting anonymity.
He said youths often behaved irresponsibly when rescue teams cautioned them not to go into deep waters. Sometimes, picnickers created a law and order situation and 56 CDGK lifeguards could not control such a situation, he added.
Incidence of bluebottles stinging have increased on the beaches of Hawkesbay, Paradise Point, Sandspit, Clifton and Sonera.
Picnickers complained that many people were stung by bluebottles and the affected people were not provided any first-aid. One Muhammad Siddique said that the emergency centre of the City District Government at Hawkesbay was operating without medicines.
But the chief fire officer of the fire brigade of the CDGK, M. Mairaj, said the emergency centre had an eight-bed dispensary, an ambulance and medicines, and was providing aid to those stung by bluebottles.
He said bluebottles had appeared in large numbers on the beaches on Sunday and stung quite a few of those who crowding the beaches. He advised beachgoers to avoid swimming on Sunday. "Depending on the time of day and location, people should ask lifeguards (who are in uniform, wearing yellow and red shorts) which places are safe to swim," said M. Mairaj.
He said: "High tides will be at 7:40am and 5:46pm on Sunday. What this means is the water will be at its highest point at these times. After 7:40am on Sunday, the tides will start to recede, meaning water will be pulling back until about 12:30 pm (low tide), after which the water will start rising again until5:46pm".
It is also learnt that the bluebottle bites have decreased slightly over the last week, because of the changes in deep-sea currents and in the wind and water movements.
This does not mean that blue bottles have disappeared. They have simply reduced in number but they are still there biting people.
According to lifeguards, the best remedy for a bluebottle sting is to pour ice-cold water over the wound and rub ice (for about 10-15 minutes). This will not alleviate the pain, but it will certainly diffuse the poison. The pain should subside in 30-45 minutes.
It is reported that city beaches are unsafe for picnickers as the City District Government Karachi's lifeguards deployed at various picnic points from Neelam Point and Hawkesbay to the Clifton beach do not have proper equipment like speedboats, wireless sets and ambulances, to rescue people from drowning. Written By Aziz Sanghur
The Rescue Centre Hawkesbay has only 56 lifeguards deployed at 12 different checkpoints along the Hawkesbay beach to ensure safety of picnickers. The Rescue Centre is working under the fire brigade department of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK).
"It is difficult for the CDGK's lifeguards to meet the requirements with limited resources. However, they are performing well. Last weekend eleven casualties were reported due to lack of safety," said a CDGK's lifeguard, requesting anonymity.
He said youths often behaved irresponsibly when rescue teams cautioned them not to go into deep waters. Sometimes, picnickers created a law and order situation and 56 CDGK lifeguards could not control such a situation, he added.
Incidence of bluebottles stinging have increased on the beaches of Hawkesbay, Paradise Point, Sandspit, Clifton and Sonera.
Picnickers complained that many people were stung by bluebottles and the affected people were not provided any first-aid. One Muhammad Siddique said that the emergency centre of the City District Government at Hawkesbay was operating without medicines.
But the chief fire officer of the fire brigade of the CDGK, M. Mairaj, said the emergency centre had an eight-bed dispensary, an ambulance and medicines, and was providing aid to those stung by bluebottles.
He said bluebottles had appeared in large numbers on the beaches on Sunday and stung quite a few of those who crowding the beaches. He advised beachgoers to avoid swimming on Sunday. "Depending on the time of day and location, people should ask lifeguards (who are in uniform, wearing yellow and red shorts) which places are safe to swim," said M. Mairaj.
He said: "High tides will be at 7:40am and 5:46pm on Sunday. What this means is the water will be at its highest point at these times. After 7:40am on Sunday, the tides will start to recede, meaning water will be pulling back until about 12:30 pm (low tide), after which the water will start rising again until5:46pm".
It is also learnt that the bluebottle bites have decreased slightly over the last week, because of the changes in deep-sea currents and in the wind and water movements.
This does not mean that blue bottles have disappeared. They have simply reduced in number but they are still there biting people.
According to lifeguards, the best remedy for a bluebottle sting is to pour ice-cold water over the wound and rub ice (for about 10-15 minutes). This will not alleviate the pain, but it will certainly diffuse the poison. The pain should subside in 30-45 minutes.
It is reported that city beaches are unsafe for picnickers as the City District Government Karachi's lifeguards deployed at various picnic points from Neelam Point and Hawkesbay to the Clifton beach do not have proper equipment like speedboats, wireless sets and ambulances, to rescue people from drowning. Written By Aziz Sanghur
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