Bhubaneswar: In a distinctive effort to bolster beach and water safety, a comprehensive residential lifeguard training program has been initiated at the Odisha State Watermanship and Lifeguard Institute (OSWALI) in Konark, with the first batch beginning on Monday.
This initiative signifies the commencement of an intensive capacity-building exercise for lifeguards throughout the state. The program will be conducted in 11 consecutive batches, each lasting 12 days, over a span of nearly one and a half months. A total of 176 government and private lifeguards will receive training during this phase.
The curriculum is designed to provide participants with essential skills, including rescue techniques, CPR and first aid, open water operations, disaster response, tourist safety protocols, and watersports safety standards. Earlier this year, the Department of Tourism (DoT) made significant strides towards establishing the state as a safe and leading adventure tourism destination by formalizing strategic partnerships to enhance water-based tourism and safety infrastructure.
In this context, the department signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS) in Goa and Odisha Fire & Emergency Services (OFES) to improve capacity building, elevate safety standards, and introduce advanced technical expertise to Odisha’s growing watersports sector. This initiative is part of a broader vision to train nearly 2,000 lifeguards over the next two to three years, thereby creating a robust and scalable safety ecosystem for Odisha’s coastal and inland water tourism.
The collaboration with NIWS will ensure that all training modules adhere to national standards and certification protocols. To facilitate scientific deployment and long-term planning, comprehensive mapping of water bodies, including their usable stretches, has already been completed across all 30 districts of the state. Based on this data, efforts are underway to prepare a district-wise pool of interested youth for lifeguard training, enabling systematic capacity building and deployment across major tourism areas such as beaches, lakes, dams, and riverfronts.
The lifeguards trained during this phase will be strategically positioned at key tourist locations, including Puri, Chandrabhaga, and other notable beaches. The continuous batch model adopted for the program is anticipated to expedite capacity building and significantly enhance Odisha’s beach and water safety network ahead of the peak tourist season.
