Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Risk assessment of drowning incidents at Aksa Beach, Mumbai, India


Affiliations
1 Department of Geography, University of Mumbai, Mumbai 400 098, India
 

The Aksa Beach is one of the most drowning incident-prone beaches in Mumbai, India. From 2006 through 2018, an average of 38 people drowned annually. A total of 445 non-fatal drowning victims have been rescued and 47 have died. No studies about these drowning incidents in Aksa Beach have been published. The incidences are classified according to various parameters such as season, tide time, lunar day, gender and age of victims, and locations on the beach to assess drowning hazards. The result is that both natural and demographic factors are responsible for drowning incidents. This study assesses the natural and social causes of drowning and suggests a prevention policy

Keywords

Beaches, drowning hazard, moon phase, prevention policy, risk assessment, tide time
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • WHO, The Injury Fact Book, A Graphical Overview of the Global Burden of Injuries, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzer-land, 2012.

  • Short, A., Handbook of Beach and Shore Face Morphodynamics, John Wiley, Chichester, 1999.

  • Surisetty, A. K. and Prasad, K., Rip current-related fatalities in India: a new predictive risk scale for forecasting rip currents. Int. Soc. Prev. Mitiga. Nat. Hazards, 2014, 70(1), 313–335.

  • Indo-Asian News Service, World’s most treacherous beach claims. Hindustan Times, 6 May 2013; https://web.archive.org/web/2014- 0228110214/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/ World-s-most-treacherous-beach-claims-3/Article1-1055373.aspx (accessed on 28 September 2018).

  • Wikipedia, Rule of twelfths; https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index. php?title=Rule_of_twelfths&oldid=914425617 (accessed on 9 Sep-tember 2019).

  • Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee, Fifth Report to the Minister of Health: Reporting mortality 2002–2008, Wellington, New Zealand, 2009.

  • Avramidis, S. and Butterly, R., Risk-taking behaviour and drown-ing incidents in swimming and non-aquatic activities around the water. In International Lifesaving Congress, FESSGA, Spain, 2012.

  • Masselink, G. and Short, A. D., The effect of tidal range on beach morphodynamics and morphology: a conceptual beach model. J. Coast. Res., 1993, 9(3), 785–800.

  • Howland, J., Hingson, R., Mangione, T. W., Bell, N. and Bak, S., Why are most drowning victims men? Sex differences in aquatic skills and behaviours. Am. J. Public Health, 1996, 86, 93–96; https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.86.1.93.

  • Ericson, M.., It is men who die and all that, so what is new? Male vulnerability, institutionalized masculinity and the present absence of a problem in Swedish rescue service accident prevention. Int. J. Masc. Stud., 2021, 16, 159–173.

  • Quan, L. and Cummings, P., Characteristics of drowning by differ-ent age groups. Injury Prev.: J. Int. Soc. Child Adolesc. Injury Prev., 2003, 9, 163–168; 10.1136/ip.9.2.163.

  • Koon, W., Peden, A., Lawes, J. C. and Brander, R. W., Coastal drowning: a scoping review of burden, risk factors, and prevention strategies. PLoS ONE, 2021 16(2), e0246034; https://doi.org/10. 1371/journal.pone.0246034.

  • International Life Saving Federation, World Drowning Report. Int. J. Aquat. Res. Educ., 2007, 1(4), 381–401.

  • Guza, R. T. and Inman, D. L., Edge waves and beach cusps. J. Geo-phys. Res., 1975, 80, 2997–3012.

  • Cook, D., The occurrence and geologic work of rip currents off southern California. Mar. Geol., 1970, 9, 173–186.

  • Brander, R. W. and Short, A. D., Flow kinematics of low-energy rip current systems. J. Coast. Res., 2001, 17, 468–481.

  • Wright, L. D. and Short, A. D., Morphodynamic variability of surf zones and beaches: a synthesis. Marine Geol., 1984, 56, 93–118.

  • Engle, J., Formulation of a rip current forecasting technique through statistical analysis of rip current related rescues. Master’s thesis, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA, 2003.


Abstract Views: 159

PDF Views: 83




  • Risk assessment of drowning incidents at Aksa Beach, Mumbai, India

Abstract Views: 159  |  PDF Views: 83

Authors

Deepali Gadkari
Department of Geography, University of Mumbai, Mumbai 400 098, India
Subhankar Das
Department of Geography, University of Mumbai, Mumbai 400 098, India

Abstract


The Aksa Beach is one of the most drowning incident-prone beaches in Mumbai, India. From 2006 through 2018, an average of 38 people drowned annually. A total of 445 non-fatal drowning victims have been rescued and 47 have died. No studies about these drowning incidents in Aksa Beach have been published. The incidences are classified according to various parameters such as season, tide time, lunar day, gender and age of victims, and locations on the beach to assess drowning hazards. The result is that both natural and demographic factors are responsible for drowning incidents. This study assesses the natural and social causes of drowning and suggests a prevention policy

Keywords


Beaches, drowning hazard, moon phase, prevention policy, risk assessment, tide time

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv123%2Fi5%2F687-693