The lifeguard service responsible for ensuring the safety of bathing tourists at Cox’s Bazar sea beach is on the brink of shutting down.
The initiative, operated by 27 personnel under the district administration and run by the Sea Safe Lifeguard organization with funding from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), is set to end as the project’s tenure expires in September. As a result, there is no certainty whether the service will continue from October.
Sea Safe Lifeguard’s Team Manager, Imtiaz Ahmed, stated: “The project was originally scheduled to end in December 2024. However, the Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner requested an extension from the donor organization, RNLI. Based on that request, the donor extended the project by six months, and later by another three months. This means the project will run until September. During meetings with the Deputy Commissioner, the Beach Management Committee, and the Hotel-Motel Owners Association, it was emphasized that the project should continue. But so far, we have not heard of any possibility of further extension.”
The organization said that it began work in 2012 on a preliminary basis and launched a pilot project in 2014. The 27 skilled lifeguards work in shifts to carry out rescue operations for people being swept away by the waves.
In the past year alone, 11 tourists have died while bathing in the sea, while 78 others were rescued. Over the past decade, 63 people have lost their lives and 782 have been rescued alive. “To ensure safe sea bathing, it is essential to keep this project running,” said Imtiaz Ahmed.
Tourists and locals believe that closing the lifeguard rescue operation will put visitors’ lives at serious risk.
Asifur Rahman, a tourist from Dhaka, said, “The way the lifeguards constantly warn us and remain ready for rescue operations is truly commendable. Without them, tourists will be at risk.”
Sea Safe Lifeguard Team Leader Osman Goni said, “We have been working for a long time with dedication and love despite low pay. Out of love for the sea and people, we risk our own lives in this work. Now, our 27 members are worried about their livelihoods as well as the safety of tourists who come to bathe in the sea.”
Dr. Shaikul Islam Helal, Senior Advisor at the Center for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh, said, “The donor organization has already said they will not extend the project. We have spoken with the ministry and the secretariat, but have not received any hopeful response so far. However, the Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner is very sincere about this matter and is trying to keep the project running.”
Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Salahuddin said, “The project would have ended in 2024. We have been able to keep it running until now by writing to the donor organization. We have also sent a letter to the ministry, but have not received a reply yet. Perhaps they are considering it on a larger scale.”
