ALAPPUZHA: The fast-approaching summer vacation is bound to cause disquiet to the parents as the children who go out to enjoy the holidays face many hidden dangers, including from water bodies.
As per data, drowning accounts for 14.3 per cent of all unnatural deaths in the state.
A 2017 study titled ‘An epidemiological study of drowning survivors among school children’ conducted by the Department of Family Medicine, MIMS Hospital, Kozhikode, says most of the drowning cases occurred in the summer season while children play or swim. The water body sites don’t have protective measures such as fencing, floatation devices or lifeguards.
The majority of the 342 children, who survived and who were interviewed, were saved by their fathers, mothers, siblings, or relatives.
The children in the age groups of 10–12 and 5–9 were at high risk of drowning.
Even among older children, the knowledge of swimming well in one particular water body need not mean that they will be safe in another water body.
According to Mr Muralee Thummarukudy, chief of disaster risk reduction, UN Enviro-nment Programme, some four persons die every day in the state due to drowning.
The drowning deaths have been on the rise in the state since 1967. The children should not be let alone near the water bodies, he says.
“If your child falls into water, use a long stick or thick ropes to save him/her instead of jumping into the water. District administrations, educational institutions, voluntary organisations and tourism centres should introduce training courses at all levels,” he says.
Mr Tom Joseph, a volunteer who works with the Life Saving Training Centre along with Rashtriya Life Saving Society (RLSS), says though Alappuzha is the hub of houseboats, the live-saving abilities of the employees on board are poor.
“The government must come up with effective programmes to engage schools, institutions and organisations to promote safety consciousness among the people so that they are safer at home, schools and workplaces,” he said.
