Hussainsagar gets its first woman lifesaver

Hyderabad: Shanta Shiva, wife of Shiva who rescues people’s lives from Hussainsagar Lake, is set  to become the first woman life-saver in the lake. In this role, Shanta will be required to rescue persons who fall into the lake or attempt suicides and retrieve bodies.

After undergoing training, she has proved herself by having rescued 15 persons and retrieving 20 bodies, under the guidance of her husband. “I chose to become a lifesaver. For several years, I have been watching my husband risk his life while saving around 118 lives. He has retrieved 11,000 bodies till date. I have decided to take up his role as Shiva is likely to get a job in the police  department,” Shanta said.

She was trained by her husband in during nights. She said she is passing on the skills to their 17-year- old son Mahesh. About two weeks ago, when her husband was out, officials from the Clues team and lake police approached Shanta and requested her to trace the body of a missing person near the police outpost. This was Shanta’s first assignment and she retrieved the body within a few minutes. It was tough as the victim’s jacket was entangled in an iron rod and she did not know the body’s exact location.

A native of Yadagirigutta, Shanta learnt to swim in her childhood. But rescuing or retrieving bodies has more to it than just swimming as it needs professional training. “I have seen many instances where, if the lifesaver is not professionally trained and tries to rescue a victim, both of them drown,” she said.

“The lake’s contaminated water with no visibility is life-threatening and hard to navigate even for a qualified life-saver. Shanta is a brave girl,” says M. Mahesh, a fisherman, who had rescued three people from being drowned in Edulabad lake at Ghatkesar.