At least 23 children drowned in different districts, including Moulvibazar, Netrakona Gazipur, Chattagram, Chuadanga, Mymensingh and Cox’s Bazar across the country in the last 20 days. The kids met their tragic end while having fun bath in the canals, ponds and other water bodies.
The latest incidents of drowning took place in Moulvibazar and Netrakona districts on Friday. At least three children –two boys and a girl—drowned in floodwaters there. We are very concerned about the child death from drowning. Drowning is the second major cause of death for children under the age of five in the country.
Incidents of drowning happens mainly during the monsoon as a large part of the country’s land alongside rivers, canals, ponds and other water bodies is submerged after heavy rain and flooding due to onrush of upstream hilly waters. Eighty percent of the tragic incidents happen mainly in ditches, ponds and other open water bodies within 20 meters of the family home. Lack of supervision results in 70 percent of deaths from drowning among children under five, according to a study.
Drowning is the second major
cause of death for children
under the age of five in the country
Every year, over 14,000 children in Bangladesh die from drowning, according to WHO and UNICEF study. Globally, drowning claims the lives of over 230,000 people a year.
Nine in ten drowning cases occur in low and middle-income countries with children under the age of five being at the highest risk in our country. Although largely unrecognised, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five in the country.
In Bangladesh, where large areas of land remain submerged due to floods, lack of awareness and not having swimming skills can be life-threatening. Children in rural areas who grow up near water bodies are at the risk of drowning. Integrated efforts of all the government and non-government organisations concerned have a great role to play in protecting children from drowning. So, all individuals, communities and the government agencies should come forward to raise awareness about drowning to protect lives of children. The incidents of child death from drowning mainly take place during monsoon. If effective measures are taken, such tragic incidents can be prevented. We don’t want to see any death from drowning.
