12 July 2004	Monday	23 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, July 11: The waves roared and crashed on the beaches on Sunday, but failed to scare throngs of picnickers. In fact, droves of thrill-seeking Karachiites gravitated towards the points where these were more noisy, threatening and really violent.

People brushed aside the predictions of the meteorological department that the tides would be the highest of the high-tide season on Sunday and chose to ignore an appeal by the Edhi Foundation asking people to stay away from beaches on the weekend.

Not even the previous Sunday's tragic incidents, claiming eight lives off the Hawkesbay and Gaddani beaches, deterred them. Edhi ambulances, cruising or stationary, through their public address system, kept warning people against entering the waters. But much of their advice fell on deaf ear.

At places, policemen, both mounted and on foot, tried to keep the enthusiasts at a distance from the waters. But the revellers were uncontrollable and the policemen too few for such a task. So, they looked on helplessly as people played in the rolling and smashing waves.

Fortunately, no untoward incident was reported on Sunday. But this should not justify any complacence on the part of the authorities. This year alone, 64 people have died and six rescued in a state of unconsciousness off Karachi's coastline.

Hawkesbay and Gaddani beaches top the killers' list, claiming 17 and 15 picnickers, respectively. The eight victims of the last Sunday's incidents included four children.

Just a man sitting in the watch-tower, or other such places, is no solution as he cannot do the job of a life-guard. "We are in coordination with the city government's divers whom we can call for help when needed," Rizwan Edhi told Dawn on Sunday.

"We have our own divers, too. But, frankly speaking, during such high tide nobody dares enter the water." Mr Rizwan said the Edhi Foundation would get four speed boats from China next month.

"With the help of these boats, we hope to be in a better position to help people in distress, whether off the beaches or deep at sea." Edhi has at least two ambulances at the main Hawkesbay and one each at Sea View, Paradise Point and Gaddani.

"No measures are possible to retrieve a man from the jaws of the lethal waves," said Sheeraz, a swimming instructor in the army. "Certainly, there is no time for swimmers sitting on the shore to rush to the spot and save a man in trouble. Even if there are speed-boats, they can be hardly of any help as the time for rescue is too short," he added.

The only solution, an expert said, seemed to be the creation of greater awareness among the people of the danger rough tides pose. "Another could be the posting of police and volunteers in large numbers to prevent people from getting close to water."