Over 80 percent of the people who die from drowning in Bangladesh are children, according to a recent study.
A total of 968 people have died in 579 drowning incidents in 15 months, of whom 808 were children, says the study.
The figures were found by compiling reports published in different national and local media outlets between January 2020 and March 2021, says Society for Media and Suitable Human-communication Techniques (SoMaSHTe).
A media development and communication focused organization, SoMaSHTe conducted the study with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).
Drowning is one of the leading causes of child deaths in Bangladesh. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 43% of the total number of children’s deaths in Bangladesh occurred due to drowning.
The drowning victims
According to the media monitoring, 211 people died in Dhaka division, 184 in Chittagong, 143 in Rangpur, 121 in Rajshahi, 106 in Mymensingh, 83 in Barisal, 72 in Khulna, 48 in Sylhet divisions.
The highest 51 deaths were recorded in Netrokona district. Besides, 46 in Dhaka, 46 in Kurigram, 33 in Noakhali, 33 in Dinajpur and 28 in Gazipur.
Among the deceased, 352 were female and of them 319 were girl child, and 610 were male and of them 483 were boy child. Gender was not identified for 6 children.
Most of the child victims went to nearby water bodies while they were unattended.
Of the 808 children, 348 were aged below 4, 308 were aged between 5-9 years, 120 were aged between 9-14 and 32 were aged between 15-18 years. Meanwhile, 160 were aged 18+.
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Most of the drowning cases occurred during the period from morning to afternoon. At least 394 people died in the morning, 388 died in the afternoon, 154 died in the evening and at night 20 people died.
The highest number of 171 drowning deaths occurred in August 2020. During the first quarter of 2020, 59 people died but at the same period in 2021, a total of 158 people died of drowning.
The rate of death from drowning was much higher in rural areas compared to the urban areas. Some 783 drowning victims were unattended. Most of the deaths occurred in ponds and ditches near to their homes. Apart from these 118 persons died in boat accidents. 55 people were flood victims.
Earlier, a study titled “Global Burden of Disease Study 2017” commissioned by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), Seattle, USA found that Bangladesh had 14,029 estimated fatal drownings in 2017 and the country ranked fifth among Commonwealth countries
The media monitoring team suggested the government to develop a nation wise strategy to prevent child drowning, learning from proven interventions targeting those most prone to risk. Committed, long-term investment based on learning from proven intervention such as community-based childcare centers is essential.
Government should also promote best practices for childcare centers with special focus on creative incentives for maintaining quality and effective care.
