Bangladesh can save over 9,000 children, aged up to four years, from drowning annually if they are kept under a proper and coordinated supervision framework in community-based day-care centres, experts said on Wednesday.
Around 15,000 children drown per annum, including 9,000 who are not more than four years old, they told a seminar on a project called Saving of Lives from Drowning (SoLiD) being implemented by Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB) in 51 union parishads under seven upazilas.
CIPRB jointly organised the seminar with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDRB) in Dhaka.
Most drownings occur when unsupervised children fall into ponds near their homes with Some 75% of the cases take place within 20 metres of the home, usually between 9am and 1pm, when the family members remain busy with other tasks.
Citing the situation, the experts recommended expanding community-based crèches across the country to help reduce injuries or fatalities by drowning.
According to them, children below five years, who are kept in community creches, fall victim to 80% less drownings.
CIPRB Director Aminur Rahman said high exposure to water-bodies, mostly without a fence, and a lack of adult supervision are the major causes of the drownings.
State minister for LGRD Mashiur Rahman Ranga said the works on a day-care project Anchal of CIPRB will be expanded in phases to 457 upazilas.
He requested all the ministries concerned to step forward to follow such a method to prevent child drowning, a common form of underage deaths in Bangladesh.
State minister for women and children affairs Meher Afroze Chumki said child care projects like Anchal can greatly help fulfill conditions of sustainable development goals.
She also urged concerted efforts from different ministries to create mass awareness in this regard.
Directorate General of Health Services Additional Director General AHM Enayet Hossain said the government has already drafted a national drowning prevention strategy, which may be finalised by September.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
