An outing turned tragic for a group of friends as one of them – a police constable reportedly drowned in a quarry at Sirsaim on Sunday. There needs to be a ban on swimming in quarries since in the past several deaths due to drowning in stone quarries, which are filled with rainwater. Swimming in a quarry can be as dangerous for various reasons. If one is jumping into the water from a height, the jump can put the person into shock. There could also be sharp rocks under the water. Many quarries are very deep and their depth cannot be gauged from the surface. Deep quarries may contain hidden currents or submerged plants which can drag a person. Sometimes the water is really shallow which makes it dangerous to dive in. As this water originates deep within the ground, it is extremely cold. A sudden plunge into cold water can cause the body to go into shock. The water can be polluted with chemicals, making it unsafe. Since swimming in quarries filled with rainwater is fraught with danger, signboards need to be put up warning people of the perils of taking a plunge.
