India (Commonwealth Union)_ In a major attempt to avoid deaths, notably those of children who drown in the water off the coast of Visakhapatnam, the state government is taking serious measures, including the deployment of the latest technologies. The GVMC – Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation employs 38 lifeguards stationed at several Port City beaches to save drowning victims.
Accordingly, for the same reason, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Space Application Centre at Ahmedabad is teaming up with the Department of Meteorology and Oceanography at Andhra University, and National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) at Thiruvananthapuram, on a two-year project called Samudra. The AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is also considering the construction of five sea swimming pools to deter visitors from venturing too far into the ocean.
According to Prof. C.V. Naidu, head of AU’s meteorology and oceanography department, the project Samudra plans to establish an Automated Rip Current Alert System. The technology has a camera put atop a tower near Rushikonda Beach. He added that the data from the camera is crucial not only for researching and comprehending beach processes and rip currents, but also for supporting lifeguards in the event of any drowning.
According to him, the two-year research conducted by the three institutions would help detect harmful rip currents in the Rushikonda region. This data will be shared with relevant authorities, who will restrict beachgoers from visiting certain areas. This will aid in improving safety, thereby bringing down the number of drownings. Prof. Naidu stated that they are also researching the use of cutting-edge technologies such as Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to automatically recognize beachgoers and sound an alarm if anyone reaches the unsafe zones.
The professor said: “With the utilization of technology, it is now possible to detect persons in distress and sound a siren, which will alert lifeguards about the exact location of the person, so that s/he can be immediately saved. This will help the government manage the beach with a minimum number of lifeguards”. He added that in the future, the project will eventually be expanded to RK Beach, Yarada, and Bheemili. According to sources, as APTDC is considering constructing five marine swimming pools along the Visakhapatnam coast, an entrepreneur from Hyderabad has already made bids for the project’s public-private partnership (PPP) approach.
