KARACHI: Apparently taking notice of growing drowning incidents off the city`s beaches in the past several days, taking the death toll to around 17 people, including four schoolboys on Tuesday, the Sindh government on Wednesday imposed a ban on swimming off the beaches for six months, says a notification.

The Sindh home department notification said that owing to the ongoing heatwave, people flocked to the beaches for recreation and that most people waded into the sea but because of turbulent waves, many people drowned.To ensure public safety, which may be jeopardised when entering the sea, necessary measures were required to be put in place.

Therefore, the government of Sindh has imposed Section 144, banning wading/swimming/diving in the sea off the beaches of Karachi for six months with immediate effect.

The SHOs of all relevant police stations have been authorised to register complaints under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code against violators of this notification.

The relevant SSPs have also been directed to ensure implementation of this order in letter and spirit, concluded the notification.