"Madam, please move away from this spot. It’s not safe because the tides are very unpredictable,” urged Saleem, a lifeguard on duty at Sandspit Beach.
“Where do you even see a wave coming all the way here? We are far off and at a dry spot anyway!” scoffed an old lady who was guarding five toddlers of her extended family who had come to enjoy the day on a hot summer afternoon.
Saleem’s concern for the children’s safety grew and he warned the family twice more to move away from the shore. At his last attempt, he was treated not just with harsh words but physical aggression as well. His efforts went in vain and he walked away, only to rush back on hearing the cries of the same family as the children were swept away by a wave. Saleem was able to rescue three children; the two others drowned.
With 40 kilometres of coastline and more than eight million annual visitors to its beaches, Karachi needs to expend greater efforts to provide for lifeguards
Such stories are heard every monsoon season. Most beach visitors do not know how to swim but are often reluctant to follow the advice of lifeguards. Lifeguards are treated with scant respect when they urge people to keep a safe distance from high waves, which people wish to wade in.
Karachi’s coastline stretches around 40 kilometres, covering beaches that include Seaview, Clifton, Sandspit, Hawkes Bay, French Beach, Kanupp Point, Paradise Point, Cape Monze, Sunehri and Mubarak Village. The sea is tempestuous during the monsoon season from mid-May to mid-August but this is also the time which draws the largest number of visitors during the year.
The city’s beaches are far more hazardous during the monsoon season because the Arabian Sea is very volatile due to its warm waters. The challenge is that the monsoon period coincides with school summer holidays in Pakistan, which is when people head to the beaches in record numbers. It’s a dangerous mix.
Beaches all over the world are unique from each other, and have differing terrains. The same is true of the beaches of Karachi. For example, the Sandspit Beach dips steeply close to the shore, so anyone walking into the sea at waist-level will suddenly step down into a deep dip. The French Beach is extremely rocky and the presence of a cove creates a strong rip tide along the sides. Hawkes Bay can be considered the most dangerous because it is exposed to the open sea and has a stronger presence of rip tides. Caught in a rip tide, one can’t swim back against it. The only way to escape is to swim parallel to the shore and swim back with a wave. However, most people panic and drown in the process.
Understanding the beach is the key. Just like humans, it too undergoes temperamental swings that worsen during the monsoon season. Unfortunately, people often try to fight this force of nature and entire families at times end up losing their lives trying to save one drowning family member.
During the monsoon season, the government imposes a ban on swimming and a few policemen can sometimes be seen trying to restrict people from going into the water.