NewzVille Desk
In order to develop Odisha as a safe and premier adventure tourism destination, the Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha, earlier this year, entered into a strategic partnership to strengthen water sports and safety infrastructure.
The Department of Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS) in Goa and the Odisha Fire and Emergency Services (OFES) to enhance capacity, strengthen safety standards and integrate modern practical skills in the rapidly developing water sports environment in Odisha.
As part of this initiative, a fully residential lifeguard training program has been started at the Odisha State Watermanship and Lifeguard Institute (OSWALI) in Konark. The training of the first batch has started on Monday, marking the beginning of a skill development process.
Key highlights of the training programme:
In the first phase, the programme will be conducted in 11 consecutive batches, each lasting 12 days. The first phase of training will be completed in about one and a half months. The second phase of training will begin after a gap of a few days.
A total of 176 government and private lifeguards will be trained in this phase.
This includes important topics such as rescue skills, CPR and first aid, working in open water, disaster management, tourist safety rules and water sports safety principles.
A state-level plan has been prepared to train about 2,000 lifeguards in the next 2-3 years with the aim of building a strong safety system for coastal and inland water tourism in Odisha.
In partnership with the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS), it has been ensured that all training modules are as per national standards and certification norms. Extensive survey of water bodies in all 30 districts of the state has also been completed for scientific planning and deployment.
Based on this information, the process of preparing district-wise lists of youth interested in lifeguard training is underway, through which systematic capacity building and deployment will be ensured in major tourist areas including beaches, lakes, dams and river banks.
The lifeguards who pass this stage will be deployed in important tourist destinations including Puri, Chandrabhaga and other major beaches. It is expected that the ‘continuous batch model’ adopted in the training programme will help in strengthening the coastal and water safety system of Odisha ahead of the upcoming tourist season along with the capacity building.
In view of the increasing number of accidents at various water bodies, the Tourism Department, in collaboration with Odisha State Watermanship and Lifeguard Institute (OSWALI), has taken this proactive step to enhance the safety of the public and tourists. With high-quality training and deployment of lifeguards at the right places, the risks can be reduced and tourists can have a safe experience.
