Kerala State Water Transport Department to buy five modern rescue boats

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Water Transport Department (SWTD) has decided to purchase five rescue boats equipped with medical facilities in the wake of recurring mishaps. The government has given the nod for acquisition of crafts each costing Rs 62 lakh.  At present, the state that boasts of a vast number of water bodies did not have rescue boats despite having an extensive network of water transport services.

"We received the nod this month, and will soon place orders with a Kochi-based firm. They will supply them within six months," said SWTD director Shaji V. Nair. The boats with a capacity of 25 persons will have emergency medical facilities like oxygen cylinders. Their speed will be about 12 knots, almost double that of passenger boats of the SWTD.

The specifications were finalised in association with the state health department. It will have a wider platform to enable rescue operations. The staff to be deployed on them will get training in handling a medical emergency in association with the state health department, he said. SWTD, which operates about 48 passenger boat schedules daily across the state is planning to station the rescue boats in Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Panavally, Muhamma and Vaikom.

"They will serve the purpose of a water ambulance for people living on islands in Alappuzha and Ernakulam area with no road connectivity," said the director. Over the last few years, the state witnessed a series of boat tragedies including the one at Fort Kochi in August that claimed eight lives, and the lack of a rescue boat gets highlighted every time. The Thekkady boat tragedy in September 2009  that claimed 45 lives was one of the major mishaps in recent times, after the Thattekad tragedy in 2007 that claimed 18 lives, including 15 children.