PUNE: The National Defence Academy (NDA) has secured 21 new boats, including six speed boats, for its naval training team. The speed boats will be used for monitoring the presence of crocodiles in the Khadakwasla lake where the trainings are conducted.
Three arrow boats (fast rescue boats), two optimist boats, four laser class sailing boats, four laser
Bahia and two 420-class boats are among the new acquisitions.
Watermanship and seamanship form the core of naval cadets’ training at the NDA. The training includes boat-handling, search and rescue operations etc. In addition, the cadets are also trained on various water sports such as sailing, kayaking, rowing,
windsurfing, waterskiing and pulling at the academy’s Peacock Bay.
An NDA official said, “Capsizing in water is partand-parcel of any watermanship training. This activity necessitates certain precautionary measures to counter threats from marine animals, weeds and drowning. The dam water has been infested with crocodile(s) since January 2011. As such, the speed of the rescue operation is important during the naval training activity.”
The NDA implements various safety and rescue procedures during naval training. “A group of small boats is deployed to sanitise the area of crocodiles, snakes and other aquatic animals before and during watermanship training activities. Two motorboats are deployed with sharp-shooters while another
motorboat is deployed with a medical team,” the official said. Since the dam water surface belongs to the NDA, the safety, security and
cleanness of the water is the academy’s responsibility.
NDA has secured 21 new boats
