UNICEF study findings as reported in a national daily showed that around 46 children die every day from drowning in Bangladesh with a yearly death toll at around 17,000. Other information from health ministry’s death figure shows that cases of drowning of children between 1 and 18 years age group top the chart. Alarming statistics further show one among four dead children is from drowning in Bangladesh and it was 22.7 per cent and 22.8 percent in 2012 and 2011 respectively.
The report highlighted that 87 percent of such deaths take place when floodwaters submerged vast areas of the country. A similar research conducted by Alliance for Safe Children in collaboration with UNICEF’s Office of Research in Bangladesh, China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam finds that in these countries one in every four dead children die from drowning which is a lot more than death occurred from measles, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria and tuberculosis combined. This is really a surprising figure but left so far undetected beyond public awareness. The reports suggested that such deaths could be easily brought down at a minimum with minor steps like building public awareness and a bit of swimming training at home and abroad; which is considerably inexpensive compared to other training to life saving. The news reports highlighted creating social awareness is a must in the first place along with giving swimming training to children at their infant stage. Protective bamboo-fences may also put in place around ponds and open water bodies, like canals and ditches that may exit in place closer to home to avoid such death.
The UNICEF study laid emphasis on increased parental awareness, capacity building of parents themselves who often do not know swimming. Such effective social and family security may be useful among many other steps to bring down the mortality rate. As we see the chance of such deaths increases with the proximity of water bodies and there can’t be alternative to heightened public awareness to avoid such tragedy. Many undeserving deaths take place during floods when younger people go for rescue and relief operation, although many of them do not know swimming. We believe parents should not allow them or let them learn swimming first to achieve the capacity to deal with the situation.
It is awfully unfortunate that thousands of children die in our country because of something that can be easily prevented by the simplest means. We urge the public health authorities to take the issue seriously to start regular local awareness campaign on the subject. Moreover, the Education Ministry may include it in their syllabus while making compulsory the learning of the art of swimming at some academic level.
