Drowning Prevention

Drowning is one of common causes of death, claiming the lives of many people in Nepal. It occurs when individuals have difficulty breathing due to immersion or submersion in water. The outcomes are death, morbidity, and no morbidity. Young people who live nearby water bodies are more vulnerable to drowning. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury and death worldwide, accounting for 7 per cent of all injury-related deaths. According to the statistical record of the Nepal Police, there were 2,500 unfortunate drowning victims in the last three years among which 501 deaths were recorded in Lumbini Province, 499 in Madhes Province, 461 in Koshi Province, 456 in Karnali Province, 335 in the Bagmati Province, 200 in Sudurpaschim Province, and 73 in the Kathmandu Valley which comprises Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts. 

The statistics reveal a great deal about the seriousness of the issue. The most disturbing pattern here is that nearly half of all drowning deaths involved children. Children are the majority of the victims of drowning because they can drown in a small water mass, including a bucket of water. This is why proper awareness is essential to prevent drowning. Many factors contribute to drowning, including flash floods, ditches, irrigation canals, open wells, polluted waterways, and inadequate security measures around water bodies. Some of the dangerous water bodies linger for months or maybe years, and therefore they pose a constant threat to communities, especially those who are poor and live in dense areas. Drowning incidents can tragically occur during everyday activities like bathing, crossing rivers, swimming and fishing. They carry significant risks if proper precautions aren't taken. 

To combat this, it is crucial to prioritise water safety education. This involves teaching swimming skills, stressing supervision, especially for children and advocating for the use of life jackets or flotation devices. Also, implementing warning signs and barriers in hazardous areas is also equally important. Legal provisions need to be formulated to guarantee the safety of the water bodies and the construction sites, and measures of strict enforcement must be undertaken. Furthermore, the media campaign should be held to educate the communities and point out the hazards related to drowning and safe methods of handling water. It is impossible to remain oblivious to the social and economic effects of this disaster. The discriminatory burdens on children from the poor and Dalit communities stand as the evidence of the fact that there is a need for specific interventions towards these groups.  

Many measures can be taken to prevent the incidents of drowning. Utilising well covers, use of playpens for kids, and doorway barriers, fencing pools, and restricting access to water hazards will significantly reduce instances of exposure to and risk of such incidents. The lack of appropriate laws, regulations, and approaches to tackle drowning is a serious gap that must be addressed to prevent further fatalities. Moreover, water safety should be a core component of disaster management at all levels of the government. Through identifying drowning as a public health risk and taking preventive measures, policymakers can play a vital role in controlling this largely ignored threat. The government, civil society, and international aid agencies should coordinate their efforts and make the prevention of deaths related to drowning a top priority.