Goenkarponn desk
Panaji: With a steadfast commitment to water safety and determination to prevent incidents of drowning, Drishti Marine, the state-appointed life-saving organisation, has expanded its ongoing free-of-cost ‘Learn to Float’ programme from school campuses to housing enclaves in the coastal state.
Marine Drishti and Coastal Foundation, a Goa-based non-profit organisation focused on marine and coastal conservation, is conducting this programme along with Drishti Lifesaving and Special Rescue Training Academy (SRTA) as delivery partners.
Inspired by the success of the ‘Float to Survive’ campaign in Australia, which demonstrated the effectiveness of teaching basic floating techniques in reducing drowning fatalities, Drishti Marine’s ‘Learn to Float’ programme aims to equip people, mainly children, with essential floating skills to save themselves in emergencies.
“The key to drowning prevention lies in education and preparedness,” emphasised Navin Awasthi, CEO, of Drishti Marine. “Through the ‘Learn to Float’, we empower individuals with the skills they need to respond effectively in water-related emergencies, potentially saving lives. Our goal is to instil a culture of water safety within every household in the state.”
To date, the programme was first facilitated for schoolchildren from The Rosary High School, Cujira, and later extended to housing societies like Chamunda Residency in Caranzalem, North Goa and Gogol Hillside Residency in Margao, South Goa. In Calangute, the local panchayat organised the ‘Learn to Float’ initiative at Adamo Hotel and invited children from the surrounding locality to participate. The team plans to conduct several such programmes through the month of May, starting with a batch of Indian Coast Guard Officers’ children at Chikolna in South Goa.
The decision to extend the ‘Learn to Float’ programme to private locations across Goa comes in the wake of recent drowning incidents, especially involving children, reported in the swimming pools of some housing societies and residential enclaves in the state.
