July 25 is the "World Drowning Prevention Day". It is the new United Nations Day, with the slogan "Anyone can drown, no one should." According to World Health Organisation (WHO) 2019 data, over 236,000 people die from drowning each year. In the past decade, over 2.5 million people have died from drowning, the vast majority of which could have been prevented. Over 90 percent of the deaths occur in low income / LDC countries, with Asia carrying the highest burden of drowning deaths by number. On April 28, 2021, the United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a historic resolution on drowning prevention, acknowledging this serious problem for the first time in its 76th history, and proclaimed July 25 would be "World Drowning Prevention Day'' This new resolution was initiated by the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, Ms. Rabab Fatima, in partnership with the Government of Ireland and co-sponsored by 79 Member States. In presenting the draft resolution, Ambassador Rabab Fatima said "Every drowning is preventable through tested, low-cost solutions. An opportunity to advance several U.N Sustainable Development Goals"

It may come as a surprise to readers that in Bangladesh about forty (40) children drown in ponds, rivers and water bodies EVERY DAY, particularly during the Monsoon Season. According to a UNICEF study, in Bangladesh, drowning is one of the leading causes of death of children under the age of five (5). Every year, some 14,000 children drown in the country, which amounts to 43 percent of deaths for those aged one to four. Although largely unrecognised, drowning is the second leading cause of deaths for children under the age of five (5). Child experts and international NGOs have emphasised that child drowning is actually the leading killer of children in Bangladesh, overtaking diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. They point out that most of the programmes to combat child mortality are focused on infectious diseases, downplaying child drowning. Statistics prove that child drowning has become a very serious public health problem. However, rates of near drowning are several times higher than those of fatal drowning among children aged 1 -17 years. Almost all fatal drowning occur during the day, when parents and family members are working in the fields, preparing food, or busy with household responsibilities. Lack of awareness, poor swimming skills, little or no supervision, absence of physical barriers, like fences, are some factors that cause drowning among children.

The UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh, Mr. Sheldon Yett, in an emotional statement said "It is heart - breaking that so many lives are lost each year in this country. We know that these deaths are preventable.We urge individuals, communities and the Government to join us in raising awareness and doing all we can to ensure every child's right to survive and thrive''

The groundbreaking "Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey'' (BHIS) 2005 and its follow-up survey in 2016, revealed staggering figures of drowning mortality. The survey was conducted by the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh and UNICEF Bangladesh. The BHIS -2016, estimated that about 19,000 people of all ages die due to drowning each year. Over three quarters of these deaths, approximately 14,500, are children under 18. In other words, each day about 40 children die from drowning." The Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2020", prepared by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) also found that drowning is the second leading killer of under five children, after pneumonia. The situation is likely to worsen as "Climate Change'', to which Bangladesh is most vulnerable, would cause more flooding leading to higher water-related deaths.

Despite such a grim reality, child drowning has not been specifically mentioned in any of the laws and regulations enacted since the country's independence. The only regulation that remotely refers to this problem is the "Multi-Sectoral Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Non -Communicable Diseases 2018-2025" adopted by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) which includes the development of daycare facilities to reduce exposure to water bodies. Experts say that there is a lack of coordination and leadership among ministries, departments and district authorities, which has resulted in poor results in reducing drowning cases. Subsequently, the Government initiated a three-year project in February 2022, to combat child drowning. Although more than two years has passed since then, progress has been slow. Official and NGO figures show that drowning deaths have more than doubled in the last few years.

Bangladesh does not have the luxury to implement the interventions which are found to be effective in developed countries. What is needed is country specific interventions which are culturally acceptable, confirm religious practices, cost effective and easy to implement. The Centre for Injury Prevention and Research (CIPRB) with the support of the Bangladesh Government, development partners and donors including UNICEF - Bangladesh; UK-Aid, Grand Challenges -Canada, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution -UK, have been conducting various community-based research activities since 2005, to identify country specific and effective interventions to prevent children from drowning. Two major innovations of low -cost solutions have been identified: Community Daycare (ANCHAL) for children 6-10 years olds and Swim Safe, a survival swimming programme for children 6-10 year olds.

Research carried out by CIPRB identified that ANCHALS methods are over 80 per cent effective. Similarly, Swim Safe was found to be over 90 per cent effective.

Another notable study was equipping community volunteers with the skills of first response, including cardio-pulmonay resuscitation (CRP) The study showed that over 80 percent of the community volunteers could learn the required skills and apply them during emergencies. Bangladesh cricket icon, UNICEF National Ambassador and now Member of Parliament, Shakib Al Hasan, is also helping parents and communities to protect children from drowning. In a video that has gone viral, Shakib gives practical advice to parents and community leaders on how to keep children safe from drowning.

The WHO outlined six (6) interventions to prevent child drowning: providing safe places away from water for preschool- aged children; installing barriers controlling access to water; providing children with swimming and water safety skills; building resilience and managing flood risks; training bystanders in safe rescue resuscitation; and setting up and enforcing safe boating, shipping and ferry regulations. Experts also advocate nation-wide daycare / child care programmes as an effective method to keep children away from water sources. To implement these interventions successfully, some strategies need to be developed, such as preparing multi-sectoral collaboration, strengthening public awareness, establishing a national water safety plan, and advancing drowning prevention through data collection and well -designed studies.

As mentioned above, the Government of Bangladesh has undertaken some drowning prevention measures. However, due to funding constraints, lack of logistics, weak coordination and other socio-cultural factors, it has been difficult and complicated to implement these measures on a national level. Experts feel that a National Strategy on Drowning Prevention, provided with adequate resources, combining all relevant official departments, communities, domestic and foreign NGOs, must be put in place on an urgent basis, to drastically reduce the alarming drowning numbers. Many have described very high child drowning as a "hidden epidemic" This national setback can be transformed into a national success story, prompting other nations to replicate Bangladesh's strategy.

Bangladesh has become a role model for LDCs and Developing Countries in several health sub-sectors. Bangladesh has also achieved commendable results in U.N Millenium Development Goals (MDG) and making satisfactory progress to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Success in drastically reducing child drowning deaths would also make Bangladesh a role model in this critical area, as well as greatly improving its MDG /SDGs goals.

The author is a former secretary and ambassador.