Fatal attractions claim local lives
The death of a 35-year-old doctor who drowned while having a dip at a waterfall this week raises concerns over the lack of safeguards at tourist attractions and public unconcern about danger.
The Doovili falls in Lankagama, Neluwa, located near the scenic Sinharaja forest, attracts many Sri Lankans but local villagers warn that death lurks close.
This is where Dr. N Ratnarajah, a resident of Wellawatte, met his death while enjoying a break with his loved one, also a doctor.
Following a friend’s recommendation, they travelled to Neluwa and purchased tickets to enjoy the scenery and have a bath. Tragically, both lost their footing on the slippery slope and fell into the water. Dr. Ratnarajah’s partner managed to save herself but he died, and his body was recovered by a villager.
“We are only here to issue tickets and we warn people to restrict bathing only in the pools built for swimming,” a ticket- seller at the site, I. G. Priyanka, said.
“But most of the young men and women ignore the warning and climb the rocks, which are dangerous. The victim climbed to a rock that was very high, and he slipped and fell into a 15-footdeep waterhole. About three people have died at this spot.”
“Short but intense rainfall and deadly undercurrents have made inland waterways highly unpredictable,” the Meteorology Department’s Head of Climate Change Studies, Anusha Warnasooriya, said. “Heavy rains over the central hills can cause sudden surges of water in rivers and other waterways. There are deep holes in which one could drown.”
It is important to keep track of the weather and check with residents before getting into the water even if visiting a wellknown holiday spot, Ms. Warnasooriya warned.
A similar tragedy struck last month when a 26-year-old drowned near the Sera Ella falls in Matale while posing for a pre-wedding photoshoot. Although villagers were able to save his bride-to-be, her fiance’s body was found hours later by navy divers.
Last week, a 16- year- old girl from Bollatha, Ganemulla, and her 19- year- old cousin from Nikadalupotha drowned in the Kanapaddan tank in Polpithigama area while enjoying a bath with their families.
Provincial and local councils give scant thought to safety at sites frequented by local tourists, the President of the Sri Lanka Lifesaving Association, Asanka Nanayakkara, said.
“If they issue tickets for the public to visit, they have to make sure that all safety precautions are taken,” he said. “Warning boards alone are insufficient. With the income they earn they must make sure a trained lifeguard is deployed and be equipped with flotation devices in case of an emergency. These can be made simply, just with empty gallon drums.”
He regretted the fact that local authorities seemed uninterested in obtaining the expertise of the association.
Fully 75-80 per cent of drownings in the country occur in waterfalls, reservoirs, tanks and rivers, he said.
“Lifesaving should be taken seriously by the gover nment,” Mr, Nanayakkara lamented. “It does not come under a single ministry but is shared between the ministries of sport, disaster management and education but needs to be streamlined.
“There is a need to identify spots that are tourist attractions with high-risk spots. Many young people are losing their lives in drownings.”
Pic and additional reporting by Neluwa Correspondent Piyaratne Jayawickrema