Royal Enfield’s partnership with social enterprise Surf Turf in Kovalam enhances beach safety by building watchtowers and equipping lifeguards with training and equipment
● The intervention has helped save over 30 lives from drowning incidents.
● Lifeguards are trained to surf and do rescue operations on their rescue boards.
● Watchtowers are dismountable, solar powered and equipped with first aid, binoculars and walkie-talkies
Kovalam, Tamil Nadu January 23, 2024: Royal Enfield in partnership with Surf Turf has constructed two solar powered lifeguard watchtowers and is providing lifeguard services in Kovalam, a popular surfing destination along the East Coast Road, 40 km from Chennai. The twin towers and the lifeguards help safeguard over a kilometre of coastline in Kovalam, which sees a footfall of over 50,000 tourists each weekend.
Under the partnership, Local fishermen were trained by Surf Turf over immersive workshops to double up as surfing lifeguards and prevent incidents of drowning – known to be the third leading cause of unnatural deaths globally. The lifeguards surf on rescue boards to speed their response time during a calamity. They are also trained in performing CPR and using first aid. This provides village youth a means of livelihood, who are employed under the programmes for their services. Royal Enfield provided customised rescue boards as well as other equipment to support Surf Turf’s operations. The support has been a lifesaver to the locals and tourists. The lifeguards have saved over 30 lives from incidents of drowning since May 2023, when the towers were constructed.
“Tamil Nadu is home to Royal Enfield. This critical intervention is part of the coastline conservation work under our social mission.The presence of these watchtowers is crucial to beach safety and helps the lifeguards do their job,” said Bidisha Dey, Executive Director at Eicher Group Foundation, the CSR arm of Royal Enfield.
“This project is beautiful and satisfying as it saves lives and also creates jobs for the fishing community. We plan to expand this association with Royal Enfield to many more beaches in Tamil Nadu,” says Arun Vasu, founder of Surf Turf.
The tower stands at an elevated height of 15 ft and is built using recyclable material. While lights and charging points are solar powered, the tower is equipped with walkie-talkies, binoculars and first aid kits. The structure is both ergonomic and dismountable in order to be able to adapt with agility in a constantly shifting coastline. Royal Enfield has built similar towers in Goa.
“I love being a lifeguard, especially since the lifeguard tower was installed in my village. Before the tower, there were accidents, but now, we’ve had zero deaths. I’m proud to contribute to the safety of Kovalam beach and grateful for this opportunity after my fishing days. Lifeguarding is a respectable and fulfilling job today,” says 36-year-old Kannan, a Kovalam-based lifeguard who was trained under the initiative.
Apart from keeping Kovalam safe the initiative has brought about a transformation among the fishing community who now see being a lifeguard as an aspirational job that makes an invaluable difference to public safety.
