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Gerandi Ella tragedy brings to surface rules for bathing in unknown waterbodies
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Fun and frolic: People at Rawana Ella on Saturday. Pix by Palitha Ariyawansa
Listen to area people, look for warning signs, and avoid getting into unknown waters, experts warn in the aftermath of the Gerandi Ella tragedy that claimed five young lives.
Gerandi Ella is a local tourist hotspot, but on January 29, it turned out to be a watery grave for 23-year-old David Kumar, 21-year-old Jeyaram Kanchanapriya, 23-year-old Bhavani, 22-year-old Sashipriya and 19-year-old Parimala Devi.
The victims and six others youths were part of a group that attended an event in nearby Ettampitiya watte, police said. Most of them were from the area. A few were from Hatton. When returning after the event, they decided to bathe in the stream cascading from the waterfall. The tragedy began with one youth stepping into an underwater depression. Those who tried to save him also got dragged into it by the strong currents. Five went missing, three were rescued after much attempt by nearby villagers. Ettampitiya police and military divers from the nearby camp found the bodies of four of them on the same day while the body Kanchanapriya, a university entrant, was found the next day.
Gerandi Ella : Scene of the tragedy
“Long holidays and school vacations mean more drowning incidents both in inland waterways and in the sea. Even expert swimmers struggle in strong currents and deep-water ends. Annually about 500 people die from drowning and almost all these deaths could be prevented,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Priyankara de Silva, who heads the Police Lifesaving Unit.
According to him, getting into unknown waters for fun bathing, ignoring signs or warnings by villagers, getting into water under the influence of liquor, travelling in boats without life jackets and having no swimming skills are some of the main causes of death by drowning.
Police statistics show 701 drowning deaths in 2020 and 312 during the first six months of last year.
“From police stations countrywide, we have sought information about deaths that have occurred in lakes, streams and waterfalls and about preventive measures in place. We deploy police lifeguards on beaches such as the Preethipura beach where many drowning incidents have reported and near popular reservoirs and waterfalls,” the SSP said.
“We are understaffed as training lifesavers is no easy task. It requires experience. Recently we trained 25 lifesavers and deployed them near several water bodies,” he said.
He also said lifesaving during the pandemic posed an additional risk. Aart from the usual challenges, the lifesavers were also exposed to the covid virus with many who died of drowning in recent months testing positive for COVID. “In such cases, out lifesavers have to undergo quarantine, but we don’t have enough personnel to replace them,” SSP de Silva said.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Director General, Retired Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, told the Sunday Times that in consultation with locals and district disaster management committees, the DMC was going ahead with its programme of erecting warning signs at water bodies considered to be unsafe for bathing or swimming.“Many young lives are lost from drowning. We conduct awareness programmes in schools and at community level. But ignorance is the main reason for drowning,” he added. 
Peradeniya University’s Geology Professor H.A. Dharmagunawardena said a solution could be found if a below-surface survey could be conducted in inland waterways popular among locals and tourists.
“The Water Resources Board, the Irrigation Department and the Tourist Board can come together for this project which can be conducted at a low cost. This will help to identify safe and dangerous areas especially near waterfalls. Usually, the soil near water falls is prone to erosion and rocks make it difficult for people to know the depth. If one has no ability to swim, getting into water is highly dangerous,” he said.
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