Bhubaneswar: In a significant step towards strengthening water safety and promoting adventure tourism, a comprehensive residential lifeguard training programme has been launched at the Odisha State Watermanship and Lifeguard Institute (OSWALI) in Konark. The first batch of trainees commenced on Monday, marking the beginning of an intensive capacity-building initiative.
The program will be conducted over 11 continuous batches, each spanning 12 days, over a period of approximately one and a half months. A total of 176 government and private lifeguards will be trained in this phase. The curriculum is designed to cover critical competencies, 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) took a significant step towards positioning the State as a safe and premier adventure tourism destination by formalising strategic partnerships to strengthen water-based tourism and safety infrastructure. In this direction, the Department of Tourism signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS), Goa, and Odisha Fire & Emergency Services (OFES) to enhance capacity building, strengthen safety standards, and bring in advanced technical expertise across Odisha’s rapidly evolving watersports ecosystem.
This initiative is part of a larger statewide vision to train around 2,000 lifeguards over the next 2–3 years, aimed at building a robust and scalable safety ecosystem for Odisha’s coastal and inland water tourism. The partnership with the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS) ensures that all training modules adhere to national-level standards and certification protocols. To support scientific deployment and planning, comprehensive mapping of water bodies, including their usable lengths, has already been completed across all 30 districts of the State.
Based on this data, the process of preparing a district-wise pool of interested youth for lifeguard training is currently underway, enabling systematic capacity building and deployment across key tourism zones, including beaches, lakes, dams, and riverfronts.
The trained lifeguards from this phase will be strategically deployed across critical tourist destinations such as Puri, Chandrabhaga, and other prominent beaches. The continuous batch model adopted for the training program is expected to accelerate capacity building and significantly strengthen Odisha’s beach and water safety network ahead of the peak tourist season.
