NDRF team during a rescue operation at a flooded area after rain in Kolhapur. (PTI) Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the South-East Asia region, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) in two reports — regional status report on drowning in the Western Pacific and regional status report on drowning in South East Asia.
WHO issued a statement on this on July 25 on the occasion of World Drowning Prevention Day.
The reports warn that climate change, to which the Asia Pacific region is particularly vulnerable, places the already vulnerable communities and individuals at increased risk of drowning.
More frequent and extreme weather events can lead to more regular and intense floods, increasing exposure to potentially hazardous interactions with water, the reports further state.
World Drowning Prevention Day was observed for the first time this year, following its adoption on April 28, 2021 of the first-ever United Nations General Assembly resolution on global drowning prevention.
In 2019, more than 70,000 deaths were attributed to drowning in WHO South-East Asia region.
Most drowning deaths in this region among children and men
Of the 70,000 deaths, more than 33 per cent were among children aged under 15 years. On an average, men were three to four times more likely to drown than women.
“Despite many lives being lost each year, drowning remains a largely unrecognised threat to health and well-being,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO, Regional Director for South-East Asia.
“We need to work across all sectors to develop national water safety plans and policies and implement tested and low-cost water safety interventions to prevent drowning and save lives. No child or adult should lose their life to drowning,” Singh said.
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