It was a tragedy waiting to happen. A two-year boy from Rumdamol-Davorlim was reportedly found dead in a storm water drain after he allegedly fell into it while playing near his residence on Monday evening. The body was found floating in the drain which was overflowing with waste-water. An inquest panchanama was conducted by the police and the body was subsequently referred for post-mortem examination. The question that arises is who should be held accountable for the tragedy? It must be said that open drains pose an open danger to public health as it can spread water-borne disease and also vector-borne diseases through breeding of mosquitoes. However open drains also pose danger as people can fall into them, especially little children and elderly persons. Open drains are a common sight across the state be it in the cities and villages. During heavy showers in the monsoon season the roads get flooded as a result of which these open drains cannot be detected. The civic bodies and village panchayats should see to it that all the open gutters are covered by concrete slabs before the onset of the monsoon.
