The most important thing for any human being is to be safe. Nothing is more tragic or greater a loss than death. Grieving the death of a loved one is a harrowing experience which cannot be put into words and only those who have faced it can understand the bereavement. The pain of losing a loved one is so overwhelming and many people don’t fully recover from the grief even though they try to cope with the loss. It is even more difficult to come to terms with the fact that you have lost a loved one when the deceased was at the prime of his or her life. Losing a loved one in a natural death is painful but losing someone to violence or accident, especially one which was avoidable, is excruciatingly painful and too bitter a pill to swallow.
The news of an 18-year old who lost his life after drowning in a swimming pool in Mokokchung the other day is a case in point. How tragic and painful. This is not the first time that a life has been cut short in this manner in Mokokchung. How many more lives will it take for us to realize that safety comes first? If we do not do the right thing today, similar accidents are bound to happen again. Now, therefore, it is imperative that certain rules and regulations have to be put in place to ensure safety standards are met by all swimming pool owners. This is particularly important if the pool is open to the public. It is not clear if there are any government rules in Nagaland regulating the operation of public swimming pools. If there is, then it should be widely circulated in the interest of public safety. If there is none, then it is urgently required of the government to formulate one.
The question is not about whether swimming pools should be open to the public or not. It is just that there has to be some regulations, safety measures and rules. Moreover, if the swimming pool is open for business, then there absolutely has to be some regulation. For instance, the presence of lifeguards in all public swimming pools should be mandatory. Safety of all should be the utmost priority. Loss of lives in swimming pools is also damning for the pool owner because it damages the reputation of the pool and its owner. Therefore, it is necessary that certain regulations be put into effect in the interest of all.