THATTA: Lack of adequate first-aid facilities and life-saving gear for picnickers who flock to Keenjhar Lake in large numbers every day leads to tragedies every now and then. Numerous deaths of victims of drowning have also been reported, who could have been saved had they received timely medical help.

The tragedies are mainly a result of criminal negligence of the departments concerned and local boat and rest-house operators who fail to take any protective measures to ensure security of picnickers whose number reaches thousands on weekends and Eid days.

The lake, which is located some 130 kilometres to the north-east of Karachi and is spread over 13,468 hectares, is frequented by more than 12,000 picnickers every weekend mostly from Karachi and the rest of the province.

The lake falls under the administrative domain of four departments — irrigation, Sindh Tourism Development Corporation (STDC), fisheries and police — but sadly none of the departments perform their actual duties and their staff is only seen busy fleecing picnickers on various pretexts.

Several groups of picnickers interviewed by Dawn complained about unhygienic conditions, lack of healthcare facility, well-equipped ambulances, public lavatories, skilled divers and life jackets to save precious lives.

They said that weeds littered the beach and layers of algae had made the stones slippery, which often caused unwary picnickers to slip into deep waters and drown. The situation was further exacerbated by lack of effective first-aid facilities and lifeguards, they said.

They said that STDC staff posted at the lake and policemen who were seen busy fleecing people in connivance with influential persons of the area were also reasons behind tragedies and degradation of the largest tourist resort of the province.

In a tragic accident, two sisters and their aunt who belonged to a poor family drowned in the lake after they slipped on algae-covered stones leading up to the historic tomb of Noori-Jam Tamachi (1367 CE to 1379 CE).

According to eyewitnesses, the women tried to jump from the boat as soon as it touched the orbital structure of the tomb located in the middle of the lake. They walked up the slippery stones, lost balance and fell back into the water.

The eyewitnesses believed if the tomb had metal railings on both sides of the steps or inflated rubber tyre tubes tied around the structure the ill-fated women could have been saved.

They said the boatmen took out the women and brought them to the shore but unfortunately there was no doctor or skilled lifeguard available to provide the necessary first aid and save their lives.

The victims who were barely breathing could have been saved through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedure but there was none who could do that, hence they were dumped in an ill-equipped ambulance of STDC which drove them 25km to Makli Civil Hospital. By the time they reached there they had already died, they said, adding that people continued to die in similar accidents without any department taking responsibility.

Many picnickers believed massive and uncontrolled growth of weeds underwater was also a major cause of deaths as the drowning victims often got entangled in them and failed to make it to the surface.

Number of victims

According to statistics available with Dawn, 26 people, mostly from Karachi, drowned in the lake in June 2003. They could have been saved or at least the number of victims could have been minimised if adequate medical facilities had been available at the lake.

On Dec 28, 2013, five tourists from Karachi, Rawalpindi and Gilgit were found shot dead in mysterious circumstances at the tomb of Noori-Jam Tamachi. The area people and visitors believe that if policemen or rescue teams had been posted to patrol the lake on boats the victims could have been saved or the mystery of their murders could have been resolved.

The lake is virtually occupied by local landlords and influential persons from whom police and staff of other departments take orders. It is an open secret that policemen, plainclothesmen and baton-wielding STDC staff extort money from picnickers on the pretext of entry tax ticket.

It is common knowledge and every tourist experiences the fact that police extract bhatta from all picnickers right from the entry point in Thatta district at Ghaggar Phatak to the lake and in between on the roads.

Many an unfortunate couple was often harassed by police who demanded nikahnama and if the couple failed to produce it, which many did not carry with them, they were further harassed. They could only save themselves by greasing the palms of the law-enforcers.

In addition to criminal negligence by the departments concerned, members of general public are also seen violating rules and putting their lives in danger. Many people who cannot swim throw caution to the wind and jump into deep waters endangering their own lives and the lives of their loved ones.

Picnickers and members of civil society demanded that all stakeholders and general public should join hands to improve conditions at the lake and keep this nature’s gift clean and safe for visitors.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2019