Every life lost to drowning is one too many: WHO
City Desk:
Bangladesh, which has emerged as a global advocate for drowning prevention, on Friday joined the global community in observing World Drowning Prevention Day, a solemn but hopeful occasion to reflect on a silent epidemic.
In 2021 alone, drowning took more than 300,000 lives worldwide nearly 30 lives every hour with Southeast Asia accounting for 28per cent of these deaths, reports UNB.
Behind each statistic is a child, a family, and a future that could have been saved, said the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to national data, drowning is the number one cause of death for children aged 1 to4 years. Thousands of children, especially in rural and low-income communities, lose their lives in incidents that are entirely preventable.
The government of Bangladesh has championed international resolutions at the United Nations General Assembly and the World Health Assembly, signaling strong political commitment to this issue.
The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs has led innovative, community-based initiatives such as the ‘Anchal Daycare Model’ and ‘Swimsafe’, both of which have demonstrated measurable success in protecting vulnerable children.
These efforts are supported by multi-sectoral collaboration involving various ministries, development partners, and civil society organizations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it continues to work closely with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, providing technical guidance, generating evidence, and helping develop national strategies and policy frameworks focused on sustainable drowning prevention.
Accelerating action toward 2030 goals while progress is evident, the scale of the challenge demands even greater momentum.
The WHO said Bangladesh must now integrate drowning prevention into national health, education, and disaster risk reduction policies, scale up proven interventions like Anchal centers and community swim training programs, strengthen community engagement and partnerships among government, NGOs, and the private sector, invest in research and data to target high-risk areas with tailored solutions.
“On this World Drowning Prevention Day, let us honor those we’ve lost not with silence, but with meaningful action. Let us amplify the stories of survival and resilience that have the power to save lives because every life counts and every story can save one,” WHO said.
