JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – Netcare 911 released a statement on December 1 urging residents to be extra careful this summer, especially when having summer fun at the poolside.
“Summer is a joyous and carefree time with students from pre-primary school to university on vacation and many families taking a well-deserved break after a long year to enjoy the sea and the sun. While this is synonymous with the perfect summer holiday, the incidence of drowning and water-related accidents can unfortunately never be left out of the equation,” Netcare 911 General Manager Coastal, Marc van Heerden noted.
Mark van Heerden said: “In December and January, Netcare 911 receives more calls related to drowning and water-associated emergency incidents than any other months. Our statistics reveal that the greatest percentage of all drowning incidents throughout the year occurs during summer. This is attributable to the high volumes of tourists, both foreign and local, who flock to the beaches during school holidays and over the festive season.”
“Incidents are also significantly higher in the coastal areas than inland areas during December and January. Looking at data extracted from Netcare 911 for the period October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014, as much as 79 per cent of all drowning incidents during December are recorded in coastal areas. When reviewing statistics for the entire year, coastal areas reflect 69 per cent of all drowning incidents.”
The summer season accounts for 55 per cent of drownings followed by autumn with 19 per cent, spring with 16 per cent and the winter season with 10 per cent.
Gauteng accounted for an alarming 28 per cent of drowning incidents recorded; however, KwaZulu-Natal was the highest with 40 per cent.
“KwaZulu-Natal saw the highest percentage of drowning incidents during the 12 month period, quite possibly because of the warm weather enjoyed all year round in the province,” concluded van Heerden.
