At least 57 persons died by drowning in the river Padma near Rajshahi during the last five-year period.
The figure is, however, only recorded ones and the actual number of deaths by drowning in the river Padma would be more than double the figure. In most cases, the drowning of children or even mature persons in the river at the char areas are not reported to police and the number of such deaths is increasing day by day.
It is learnt, the death by drowning in the river Padma adjacent to Rajshahi is rampant and there is no respite of such deaths because there is no surveillance of River Police or the local administration and because of the absence of awareness of the guardians of the victim children and the victims themselves about fatality of the deaths by drowning in the water. Even, there are no public or private organisations to make aware the riverside people or the people taking a trip on boats or taking a bath in the river about the possible danger and fatalities due to drowning in the river and thus the unnatural deaths.
The riverside of Padma covering some 100 kilometres of the area is also favourite for tourists and amusement seekers. More than 500 boats regularly board those tourists and amusement seekers and take them to travel on the river. There are no precautionary measures in those boats, no life jackets to save the people on board during any disaster or drowning of those boats. There having no hub of Tourism in Rajshahi and surrounding areas, the people of Rajshahi prefer a pleasure ride on boats in the river Padma as an alternative for any tour or visit to any amusement centre or park. The riverside of Padma has turned into the main pleasure as well as amusement centre for people of various ages. Hundreds of people are seen to visit the riverside daily all through the day.
There are frequent incidents of deaths or injuries while crossing the river on boats, taking a pleasure trip on boats or taking a bath in the river water. According to the local administration and the authorities of Fire Services in Rajshahi, at least 57 people died by drowning in the river Padma during the last five years. Of them 21 died during taking a bath in the river, 22 died when the boats carrying them capsized in river water, 14 unidentified dead bodies were recovered from the river and six people who drowned in the river remained missing.
Ruhul Kabir Khan, Superintendent of Police of Rajshahi River Police informed, ' All the vulnerable points in the river Padma in Rajshahi are being identified. River police were working to make river-travellers as well as the boatmen aware to avert any accident in the river Padma.'
It is learnt, despite all these accidents and the activities from the river police and local administration, the death in boat accidents and death during taking a bath in the river are increasing. Yet, not a single poster or banner is seen to hang riverside to make the people aware of possible dangers with the boat ride or taking a bath. Not any announcement from any quarter, either from the river police or from the local administration is ever heard beside the river.
Shamim Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi said,' Steps will be taken to make the boatmen and the amusement seekers to check accidents in the river'.