Guardians urged to stay vigilant to protect children from drowning during Eid

Guardians should keep a careful eye on their children to keep them safe from drowning while holidaying on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, said experts.

A festive mood may turn into a moment of pain and sorrow if the family members do not take proper care of their children, they warned.

The wake-up call was made by the National Alliance for Drowning Prevention (NADP) as people are planning to celebrate Eid and the holidays are going to be longer this time.

"During such festivals, people usually visit their native villages and different tourist locations, but children habituated to urban life rarely have practical experiences of the rural setting and mostly do not have swimming skills. In such circumstances, when they roam around unsupervised, they remain exposed to drowning, for which they require constant supervision," said NADP convener Sadrul Mazumder.

He called on the government agencies concerned to install efficient lifeguard services to ensure the safety of tourists in the water, mentioning that an increased number of people visit popular tourist spots like Cox's Bazar, St Martin's Island and Kuakata nowadays.

Dr Md Abdul Jalil Chowdhury, former professor of medicine at the BSMMU and secretary-general of the NADP, said that drowning is preventable but the rate of drowning cannot be reduced if people do not become aware of the adversity of drowning.

"If a child drowns, then other members of the family enter into a traumatic situation, which needs to be addressed. Thus, alongside the festivity, the senior members of the family should keep a watchful eye on children," he added.

As per findings of a NADP study, 30 children under the age of five drown every day in the country, and 68% of drowning incidents occur between 9am- 1pm, with the majority of incidents occurring in ponds [66%] and ditches [16%] located close to households when parents particularly the mothers remain busy with the household works.