Spotlight on drowning awareness in uMhlanga

THE uMhlanga Whale-Bone Pier is one of several landmarks around the country to light up in blue to mark World Drowning Prevention Day on Tuesday, July 25.

The day, declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) in 2021, serves to raise awareness of drowning as a global public health concern.

This is central to the message of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) who will host key activities on the day, including talks at schools in eThekwini and across the country.

Also read: KZN ranks highest for drownings

Executive director of Drowning Prevention Services at the NSRI, Dr Jill Fortuin, says the NSRI explained that the focus of this year’s campaign is to put the spotlight on drowning prevention, in that anyone could drown but no one should.

“On average, 1 477 people drown in South Africa; most of these fatal drownings occur among males, children under 14 years, and in inland waters. As one of the leading bodies in South Africa operating in the drowning-prevention discipline, we are urging South Africans to help us commemorate the day by wearing blue on July 25. This colour symbolises the urgent need for action to reduce drownings. In addition, the colour blue is about remembering people who have drowned, creating awareness, and increasing knowledge about drowning,” she said.

Fortuin added that the NSRI has designated several prominent locations to be illuminated in blue, serving as a tribute to those who have tragically lost their lives to drowning and as a visible commitment to preventing future incidents.

These landmarks will be illuminated in blue are as follows:
– Zoo Lake in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province
– 2nd Beach, Port St Johns, encompassing the Coffee Bay / Hole in the Wall areas in the Eastern Cape
– Whalebone Pier at Umhlanga Rocks in KwaZulu-Natal
– Table Mountain and NSRI Head Office, located at 2 Longclaw Drive, Milnerton, in the Western Cape
– NSRI stations situated in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces

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