Ranchi: Swollen waterfalls, overflowing dams and lush green landscapes have ushered in the monsoon tourism season across Jharkhand, drawing hundreds of visitors every weekend. But a spate of drowning incidents in the past few days has once again exposed glaring safety gaps at some of the state’s most popular tourist destinations, with inadequate surveillance, poor barricading and weak emergency preparedness coming under scrutiny.On Sunday, two youths drowned in separate incidents at Getalsud Dam in Ranchi and Patratu Dam in Ramgarh. Barely a week earlier, a tourist from Garhwa lost his life after entering the waters at Sugga Bandh waterfall in Latehar. The incidents have renewed questions over the availability of lifeguards, warning signage, barricading and quick-response rescue systems at sites that witness a surge in visitors during the rainy season.Visitors say many tourist spots continue to rely on local police and divers after an accident rather than preventing one. “The scenery attracts people, but at many places there are no trained personnel to stop visitors from entering dangerous stretches. Warning boards are either missing or ignored, and rescue teams usually arrive only after something goes wrong,” said Ranchi resident Abhishek Sinha, who recently visited Sugga Bandh dam.Tourism minister Sudivya Kumar, talking to TOI, expressed grief over the recent incidents and said the department would work towards strengthening awareness among tourists. “These incidents are unfortunate. Tourism in Jharkhand is still at a developing stage, and as footfall increases, awareness becomes equally important. The department will take pilot initiatives to sensitise visitors so that such incidents can be prevented,” he said.Officials say tourist arrivals typically rise sharply during the monsoon as waterfalls and reservoirs reach full capacity. However, tourists point out that many destinations still lack basic measures such as restricted access to deep-water zones, adequate barricading, trained rescue personnel and continuous surveillance.