Inaugural World Drowning Prevention Day commemorated
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 360 000 people around the world lose their lives to drowning annually
ACCORDING to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 360 000 people around the world lose their lives to drowning annually.
This makes it an extremely concerning global public health issue.
ALSO READ: NSRI call to action – ‘it’s time to teach our children water safety at school’
With this in mind, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on drowning prevention, which will see 25 July observed as World
Drowning Prevention Day annually, to promote awareness and encourage action globally.
In commemoration of the inaugural World Drowning Prevention Day, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) on Sunday paid homage to the pink rescue buoy project, celebrating the 75 lives that have been saved since the project’s inception in 2017.
Two hundred pink rescue buoys were strategically placed on Rocklands Beach at Sea Point in Cape Town, with the buoys displaying the number 75.
This particular beach was chosen as four lives were sadly lost to drowning there in November 2019.
Annually in South Africa, about 1 500 people lose their lives to drowning, 450 of whom are children under the age of 14.
Most South Africans who drown, do so in dams, rivers and streams. Sadly, most drownings of children under five years of age occur at or near their home.
‘If you ever see someone in danger of drowning, think ‘pink is for buoys’,’ said Jill Fortuin, NSRI director of drowning prevention.
‘Find the pink rescue buoy, throw it into the water, help the person to float, and save a life. You’ll find our buoys at beaches along the coast, inland dams and rivers right across South Africa.
‘But please remember that a stolen buoy could be a stolen life.’
Some ideas to keep your young children safe around the home include:
• Being vigilant and having a responsible adult dedicated to physically watching those who are swimming or are near water
• Special attention should be paid to wash basins, baths, dams, rivers and swimming pools, and any water containers that children could fall into
If you see a person experiencing difficulty in the water, throw them a pink rescue buoy or any kind of flotation device that someone can hold onto while you pull them out of the water, without placing yourself in danger of drowning.
The emergency number to call for drowning is 112.
Online water safety lessons are being offered by the NSRI, and anyone in the King Cetshwayo district (KCD) who would like to participate is to contact Mncedisi ‘Tata’ Hlalatu (volunteer/water safety instructor in KCD), by email on mncedisi@searescue.org.za or by telephone on 083 3744673.
