KOCHI: In the wake of increased incidents of drowning reported from different parts of the state, Monsoon Media supported by UN Disaster Mitigation wing head Muralee Thummarukudy has come out with a short film directed by KSEB staffer Vipin Wilfred, to spread awareness on drowning and how lives could be saved.
“Many are not aware that the surface of water bodies can be deceptive. People who go for rescue in water bodies too have to be cautions. Reach (giving a hand), Throw (throwing a coir band or cloth), Row (using a country craft) and Go (personally moving) are the different methods of rescue and each one has to be chosen as per requirement.
“Drowning is the second biggest accident killer in Kerala, next to road accidents. More than 1,500 people die per year in drowning, which is highest among major Indian states. Yet there is no single agency to do something about it,” says Muralee Thumarukudy. He says that awareness is key in saving lives in water bodies. “Over the last 40 years only less than 1 % of all drowning deaths happened from boat capsizes.”
They short film explains the typical situations of water safety accidents and provides guidance on how to give first aid when people are rescued from water. It explains that traditional wisdom, often seen in movies, of trying to get all the water out of the stomach is neither scientific nor useful.
“The first aid that is prescribed by the American Medical Association is promoted through the short film including cardiac pulmonary resuscitation. Mostly news related to drowning goes in the local pages of the language press and hence its gravity and prevalence is missed by the society. It has to be viewed very seriously,” Vipin said adding the video has already reached over one lakh people through Youtube and Facebook.
He says that short film produced voluntarily by Monsoon Media needs to be taken to schools and colleges. “The government and schools should come forward for this,” said Vipin. The personnel in the Fire and Rescue scuba diving service wing in Thiruvananthapuram have acted in the film.
