DDMA to prepare data-based action plan to prevent drowning incidents in Ernakulam

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has initiated steps to prepare a data-based action plan to prevent drowning accidents in the district in the wake of repeated incidents reported from different parts of Ernakulam.The ongoing efforts assume added significance as the district has witnessed a series of drowning incidents recently, the latest being the death of Delhi-based model Divyanshu Joshy. The 26-year-old drowned in an abandoned quarry pond at Pettamala near Kuruppampady in Perumbavoor on Thursday afternoon. He reportedly entered the water while scouting locations for an advertisement shoot.As part of the plan, the DDMA has begun compiling data on drowning incidents reported over the past three years. Data from the police and Fire and Rescue Services departments are being collected to identify hotspots with recurring cases. Once identified, location-specific preventive measures will be suggested based on the nature of the waterbody and its surroundings. The proposal also includes ensuring the availability of basic rescue equipment such as ropes, throwbags and lifebuoys at vulnerable locations,” said Anjali Parameswaran, hazard analyst, DDMA.One of the major challenges officials face in compiling the data is that police and Fire and Rescue Services records also include suicide cases. The incidents will have to be verified to determine whether a particular location is genuinely accident-prone.The DDMA plans to implement the programme by July next year after obtaining approval from the State Disaster Management Authority.Officials said local bodies have repeatedly been advised to ensure safety measures and install warning boards at abandoned quarry ponds. In the latest incident at Perumbavoor, warning boards had already been placed at the quarry, according to officials.The DDMA also said awareness classes are being conducted regularly, especially in educational institutions, with support from National Disaster Response Force and Fire and Rescue Services personnel.The Fire and Rescue Services department had earlier this year identified 68 high-risk drowning zones under 17 fire stations in the district. Ernakulam reported 317 drowning fatalities between 2023 and 2025.This year alone, a teenage boy drowned in a lake at Nettoor, while three 22-year-old students of Baselios Dental College drowned in the Palavanpadi river at Vadattupara near Kothamangalam. In another incident on April 29, three nursing students drowned in the Periyar Valley canal at Asamannoor near Perumbavoor. Published - May 30, 2026 01:26 am IST