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An estimated 30,000 people including children die of unnatural reasons every year in Bangladesh. Of this 17,000 are children who drowned, said a survey of the Bangladesh Health and Injury.
The BHI survey said the death rate of children in the country from various diseases has declined over the last two years, while drowning of children has increased.
Several studies carried out by the ICDDR’B and the BHI revealed that lack of awareness was largely responsible.
It said that during floods, a large number of mothers and family members keep children busy doing household chores between 9am and 2pm, allowing them to stray out of sight.
According to UNICEF, during the rainy season between June to August last year as many as 946 people die. Of these 816 drowned. The victims were mostly children aged below five years.
Talking to newsmen, UNICEF project officer Sumona Safinaz said many drown during flooding in far-flung areas and these incidents do not get published.
The incidence of drowning of children between one and 17 years of age is more than deaths from pneumonia or diarrhoea, according to Children and Mother Affairs Institute of the Health Ministry.
Another survey carried out by the BHI observed that children usually drown in ponds, ditches, lakes even in dry season.
Sumona said the drowning incidents occur when children go to ponds or lakes without their parents or relatives. Moreover, she said, the mothers often keep their children with their relatives who are not capable of rescuing children.
She said mothers of joint families work most of the day to keep the house running and leave their kids with others.
The studies suggested a massive social awareness projetc and said policy makers, health workers as well as local people can play an active role in a coordinated manner in getting children to keep a safe distance from water-bodies.
It recommended inclusion of information related to drowning in schools and holding discussions with imams.
Five students of Mirpur MDC Model High School between 13 to 15 years of old drowned recently after a boat went down in Dhaka city’s Mirpur area.
The accident took place when 10 students were boating on Mirpur lake as their school ended earlier on that day.
Five of the students swam ashore while the others drowned.
Two days after the Mirpur incident, seven students drowned at Signal point in Cox’s Bazar beach. Three were rescued.