Visakhapatnam: The death of two youngsters, who went missing at the Sariya waterfalls under Ananthagiri police station limits in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district on Sunday, highlights the lack of safety measures at the waterfalls.
A group of six youngsters from Vizag city had gone to the Sariya waterfalls on a joy trip on Sunday (April 13) when two of them went missing. Their bodies were found on Monday morning. The deceased were identified as Vasu (25) and Narasimham (23).
Although Andhra Pradesh has many waterfalls, the Sariya waterfalls in ASR district has proven to be the most dangerous, with over 40 people drowning in the past decade. Gripped by a desire to witness this scenic beauty which is around 70 km from Vizag city, visitors (mostly youngsters) from various parts of the state have been visiting the waterfalls in large numbers for the past few years.
“Though the Sariya waterfalls is a beauty and one has to trek some distance to reach the place, youngsters have been risking their lives at the waterfalls by ignoring warnings,” said Araku Valley Circle Inspector, L Himagiri. “As the Sariya waterfalls has turned out to be dangerous for visitors, we (the police department) have appointed ten local youngsters as volunteers to guide and warn visitors to mitigate possible tragic deaths.” Himagiri added, “The volunteers have been warning visitors not to visit certain locations at the Sariya Waterfalls, but some young visitors ignore these warnings.”
There are nine major waterfalls in the ASR district, which attract many visitors from September to April. A few years ago, the Ananthagiri police suggested that the ASR district administration restrict visitors to the Sariya waterfalls, but the suggestion was not considered due to the area’s tourism potential. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has classified drowning deaths into three categories: boat capsizing, accidental falls into water bodies, and other causes. According to the NCRB, 90% of total casualties in Andhra Pradesh were due to accidental falls into water bodies.
A group of six youngsters from Vizag city had gone to the Sariya waterfalls on a joy trip on Sunday (April 13) when two of them went missing. Their bodies were found on Monday morning. The deceased were identified as Vasu (25) and Narasimham (23).
Although Andhra Pradesh has many waterfalls, the Sariya waterfalls in ASR district has proven to be the most dangerous, with over 40 people drowning in the past decade. Gripped by a desire to witness this scenic beauty which is around 70 km from Vizag city, visitors (mostly youngsters) from various parts of the state have been visiting the waterfalls in large numbers for the past few years.
“Though the Sariya waterfalls is a beauty and one has to trek some distance to reach the place, youngsters have been risking their lives at the waterfalls by ignoring warnings,” said Araku Valley Circle Inspector, L Himagiri. “As the Sariya waterfalls has turned out to be dangerous for visitors, we (the police department) have appointed ten local youngsters as volunteers to guide and warn visitors to mitigate possible tragic deaths.” Himagiri added, “The volunteers have been warning visitors not to visit certain locations at the Sariya Waterfalls, but some young visitors ignore these warnings.”
There are nine major waterfalls in the ASR district, which attract many visitors from September to April. A few years ago, the Ananthagiri police suggested that the ASR district administration restrict visitors to the Sariya waterfalls, but the suggestion was not considered due to the area’s tourism potential. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has classified drowning deaths into three categories: boat capsizing, accidental falls into water bodies, and other causes. According to the NCRB, 90% of total casualties in Andhra Pradesh were due to accidental falls into water bodies.
