Galway Bay fm newsroom - There are calls for a long term plan to tackle river deaths in the city, while thermal imaging cameras are to be installed in the Spanish Arch and Docks area shortly.
It's after a petition calling for greater safety measures along the River Corrib gathered more than 22-thousand signatures.
The calls come from the Social Democrats party which is urging the government to establish a committee to form a proposal outlining a long term plan to tackle river deaths in the city.
The party says the committee should work with the newly elected city council in May and that the plan should then be rolled out over a five year period.
It says the plan should not look at the river deaths as a safety issue alone but should also take into account what they describe as an inaccessible and increasingly privatised mental health system.
It says the lack of education on water safety in Ireland, the years of cutbacks on public amenities, and the city's drinking culture should also be assessed.
Meanwhile, plans to install thermal imaging cameras in the Spanish Arch and the Docks area are at an advanced stage.
Member of the Joint Policing Committee, Joe Loughnane, says the cameras will give rescue services the upper hand when getting to someone that has just entered the water.
Galway has the third highest rate of drowning in Ireland after Cork and Dublin.
