Why do people become so cavalier?

While a holiday season is a time meant to be spent with family for enjoyment, it's also a time to be extra vigilant against potential safety hazards. But what happens very often is that thrill seekers, without adhering to the warnings from authorities, risk not only their own lives but endanger the lives of others.

The Sultanate of Oman is still in shock from the number of tragic incidents, that too involving children, which took place during the Eid al Adha holidays. Although the exact number of deaths is still not known officially, the ongoing spate of inclement weather has left another scar on another holiday season – mainly due to non-compliance of warnings.

Today, with the help of new radar technology, forecasters are able to better know very much in advance about the extreme weather conditions and alert the public against the potential threat and the need to take precautionary measures.

But even as we are inundated with messages through official channels or social media platforms about the seriousness of the situation, many people do not give any heed to them!

Why do people become so cavalier in the face of clear instructions?

A look back at a year or two when we were under the grasps of the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic, it takes us across several barefaced violations of the protocols issued by the authorities to fight the spread of the virus.

Many people blatantly ignored the appeals and directives to stay home and avoid group gatherings. Many were fined and prosecuted for violations which led to a colossal rise in coronavirus cases forcing the authorities to take extreme steps like lockdowns and entry bans.

Whether in a situation like pandemic or in a condition like the current rough weather, non-compliance with the instructions is what heightens the gravity of the disasters – unwarranted loss of human lives!

What is frustrating and making matters worse is that despite proper warnings about the impending dangers, many people throw guidelines with the wind and allow themselves to fall prey to deaths!

Some people even behave like children who do the opposite of what their parents tell them to do! If a child is told not to jump into a pond or play with a knife, he/she would attempt to do it, may be out of curiosity, inviting trouble for them and their parents.

The Oman Meteorology and Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority plays an essential role in weather forecasts, early warnings on hazardous weather and outreach activities to enhance public awareness of weather hazards. So are the other authorities like the Royal Oman Police and other civil authorities.

Despite repeated warnings, revellers thronged beaches, that too, many jumping onto the seas, which had high tides. Many others risked their lives to cross valleys or attempted to take a dip in the gushing rain waters. The result is many were washed away or drowned leaving their dear ones to bewail forever.

The drowning of children points to the lack of care that was required to be taken by the parents or their kin in preventing the kids from reaching the overflowing wadis. This happened despite warnings, appeals to parents not to allow children to go near the wadis or water bodies.

If non-adherence to instructions is the reason behind the casualties, it is the climate change which is allowing sea level events associated with some tropical cyclones, leading to an increase in the intensity of catastrophes such as heavy rains, flooding and associated impacts.

The effects of climate change -- rising sea levels, raging storms, searing heat, severe drought and perilous floods are already threatening our health, our communities, our economy, our security, and our children’s future.

The number of weather, climate and water extremes are increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change.

According to a UN Climate Change report, tropical cyclones and droughts were the most prevalent hazards with respect to human losses, accounting for 38 per cent and 34 per cent of disaster related deaths from 1970 to 2019, respectively.

Climate change is a fight for life itself. It is having more and more of a negative impact on people. So it is important that the world acts together to prevent extreme weather conditions which claim human life and property at every interval.