A huge number of children die in drowning in the country every year. Many children die during floods that hit the country every year. Moreover, there are tidal surges in the coastal areas which also cause drowning of children. On an average, 30,000 children die in accidents in Bangladesh every year. Of them, 50 per cent die in drowning. According to Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey, 17,000 children die in drowning.
On an average, 46 children drown every day, which is the highest in the world. The children aged between one and four mostly become the victims.
Another report of the BHIS said though the number of deaths in pneumonia and diarrhoea had declined, the rate of deaths in drowning had not reduced, rather increased.
A UNICEF report said the number of deaths in drowning among the children aged between one and 17 is more than other diseases.
According to the UNICEF, 946 flood-related deaths occurred in the first eight months of 2009. Of them, 816 people died in drowning and 90 per cent were the children, who were under the age of five years. The child death rate is being increased alarmingly since 1980.
The BHIS has identified a number of reasons for the deaths of children in drowning through a survey. Those are rise in water in water bodies including canals and beels in monsoon and safe water bodies become dangerous for the children during the rainy season. Most of the deaths happen in water bodies or ponds situated beside or in front of the houses.
There are 147 coastal upazilas in the country. Many people die in these areas due to tidal surge. Half of them were children. The people become nonplussed when 15-20 feet water from the sea rush to the coast with a violent speed. Many people wash away before reaching cyclone centres.
Professor Md Waliullah, chairman of Hatia upazila, said there is no cyclone centres in many char areas of the country. There is no place for taking shelter during any big natural disaster. At that time, the people will die. Especially, it would be difficult to save the children.
AKM Azrouddin Safdar, unit officer of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Noakhali district, said the children are ignored many a time when efforts continue to save life during the natural disasters.
‘The children would be saved from drowning due to the information that is being provided to the family preparation training,’ he said.
Social awareness will have to be built first to prevent the children from drowning. The children will have to be kept under round-the-clock surveillance will be imparted training in swimming to save them from drowning.
-With New Age input
