Cape Town - As World Drowning Prevention Day is observed today, numerous water safety stakeholders have urged the public to be aware of the dangers of leaving youngsters unsupervised around bodies of water.
This comes after the World Health Organization reported that drowning was found to be one of the leading causes of death for children and young people – with southern Africa being one of the regions with the highest risk of drowning. Lifesaving SA said this was largely attributed to unsupervised access to water sources.
Local Government MEC Anton Bredell said: “We are seeing approximately 1 500 drownings each year, and about a third of those are children under the age of 14. The impact of lives lost on families and communities cannot be measured, neither can the effects of non-fatal drowning which may cause lifelong disabilities in victims.”
Lifesaving SA president Dhaya Sewduth said: “Through the correct and uninterrupted supervision of youth, children, and toddlers in and around aquatic resources, many drownings can be avoided.”
Vast communities chose to live close to water resources.
“These communities are often at risk of drowning due to a lack of local knowledge about the terrain, or poor municipal planning that has allowed homestead developments within historical flood plains, with communities often having to cross flowing rivers to access shops, work, or school,” Sewduth said.
Nationa Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) drowning prevention director Jill Fortuin said: “As a society where the majority of South Africans are living in under-resourced areas, water safety education is not a priority.
“With the assistance of the WHO as a global advocate, calling for action to all member states, we at the NSRI are committed to leading and supporting drowning prevention efforts in South Africa."
To further these efforts, local government would be hosting a drowning prevention webinar with the theme “Building resilience around floods due to climate change”, led by the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre today to focus on drowning and ways to prevent it from happening.