Risks associated with Drowning
Context:
- On 25 July, which is designated as World Drowning Prevention Day, an effort is made to learn more and put many professional suggestions for safe places into practise. There were 36,362 drowning deaths reported in 2021, many of them were youngsters.
Drowning deaths:
- Drowning deaths occasionally make the headlines when they involve a big number of people or individuals who are larger than life, but India sees many more drownings every day, mostly involving children.
- According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, 36,362 drowning deaths were reported in 2021, making up 9.3% of all unintentional fatalities in the country.
- Experts claim that while rescue and resuscitation efforts aren’t always feasible or timely, prevention is crucial to lowering drowning mortality in India.
- Prevention involves a variety of procedures at the safe behaviourism infrastructure layers.
Children at high risk:
- Children in India are especially vulnerable to drowning, and even the numbers provided are probably an underestimate because the majority of instances never make it to the hospital and are not recorded.
- Children under the age of six are at the greatest danger in India, especially in rural and isolated areas, followed by children aged six to fourteen.
- It’s a common misperception that kids who spend enough time near water will automatically pick up swimming skills. The lack of adult supervision and the absence of physical barriers around water are the two main causes of child drowning deaths, thus this is totally wrong.
Related causes and prevention:
- Drowning may be considerably decreased if safe zones are accessible and readily available.
- The other concerns are the secure storage of water and, when necessary, preventing access to it. Start with secure storage at home. This must be brought to the attention of communities in a way that enables action.
- Government representatives must also blockade wells, ponds, and other small water sources and prohibit unauthorised access in order to create safer environments and communities.
- Be aware: About 70% of all drowning fatalities, according to the NCRB, result from unintended falls into bodies of water. But there have been many occasions where families and children went on outings for a leisurely dip or a bath and tragically perished from drowning.
- Avoiding selfies: In her opinion, shooting selfies might be risky because numerous young people have tragically lost their lives while seeking to get the best shot of a stunning dam or a raging river.
- According to a 2022 World Health Organisation (WHO) study titled “Status of Drowning in South-East Asia: Country Reports,” India had the highest number of “selfie-deaths” from a worldwide search that had been recorded, and drowning was one of the leading causes of deaths that occurred while taking selfies.
- Another major worry is drowning brought on by floods. 656 people in India perished as a result of flooding, according to NCRB data.
- There is a pressing need for enhanced urban infrastructure and climate change mitigation measures.
- Procedures for post-event recovery and rehabilitation are equally important because drowning deaths can potentially occur as a result of water logging.
- state-specific laws that might be applied to intervene-needed places like wetland areas, coastal communities, and low-lying areas, for example.
Conclusion:
- Water can be found all around the country, including along our broad coastline, in our flowing rivers and lakes, and pooling in our wetlands, even though it may not always be accessible as a source of drinking water. These water sources are all necessary for survival. While we properly work hard to preserve these natural wonders, we also need to safeguard the local population.
