Summer holidays are here

BANGALORE: It is vacation time. But how safe are play equipment in your parks? What could be done to make playing an enjoyable experience?
Incidents in the past are grave reminders of how unsafe our parks are. In 2008, 24-year-old Ayesha Abdul Razzaq Byadgi died when she tried to save her child who slipped off during an amusement ride at Bal Bhavan, Cubbon Park.In another incident, a child was killed when a bench broke in Vidyaranyapura Park.
Not even kids' deaths will perhaps wake up authorities to make children's spaces safer. Parks in Bangalore cry for maintenance. Though the horticulture department maintains the landscape and lawns in parks, playground equipment in most are in pathetic condition.
For instance, the slide in Coles Park is broken and broken swings are tied with cloths. While civic authorities are oblivious of this, children are unaware of the danger and continue to play.
Lack of safety standards in manufacturing and placing playground equipment in parks is one of the reasons why such green spaces have become dangerous zones. Robin Das, chairman and MD, Koochie Play Systems, said there are no standards followed in selecting playground equipment for public spaces in India.
The safety standards
As per international standards framed out by US Consumer Product Safety Commission: "There should be protective surfacing. Almost 60% of the injuries are caused by falls, protective surfacing under and around all playground equipment is the most crucial safety factor on playgrounds. Certain loose-fill surfacing materials are acceptable.''
On the other hand, fall zone should be covered with a protective covering material. Stationary climbing equipment and slides should have a fall zone extending a minimum of six feet in all directions from the perimeter of the equipment. There must be guard rails to ensure a child sits down before using the slide. Swings should also have a fall zone of 6 feet from the outer edge of the support structures. As per the international standards, playgrounds should be inspected on regular basis.
We will focus on maintenance
Maintenance of playground equipment and parks is given to a contractor for a specified period. It is true that parks are badly maintained. In order to monitor them properly, we have called for tenders again. They'll be finalized in another 8 to 10 days. We will remove the damaged playground equipment and install new ones in these parks. Their maintenance will be carried out at the zonal levels in Bangalore.
L Ranganna | standing committee chairman of horticulture, BBMP
RWAs should monitor
There are at least 710 parks in Bangalore alone. Though there are international standards for manufacturing and placing of playground equipment in parks, there are no set standards in Bangalore. BBMP should not wash its hands of saying that it is the responsibility of contractors. Resident welfare associations and community groups should take up monitoring work. A system should be established so that the groups inform civic authorities to take up maintenance work. Civic authorities should also act upon their recommendations.
Kavitha Krishnamoorthy | founder of Kilikili, a trust for inclusive play spaces
Safety standards must be followed
In India, there are many who manufacture slides that are 10 and 12 feet high. These are not safe as critical injuries result from children falling off such tall slides. When you use such big slides, it is important to also use the prescribed safety flooring. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that safety barriers and guard rails are made to stipulated heights as insufficient heights will allow children to climb and fall over to the other side of the playground unit.
Roben Das | chairman and MD, Koochie Play Systems which manufactures playground equipment