A reminder about water safety

POLICE are investigating a number of alleged drowning incidents in the country. This should raise concern as we slowly get out of the festive season. We are reminded that students are still on holiday and will be enthusiastic about swimming trips. Yesterday investigations continued over the death of a 23-yearold farmer from Naloto Village, Verata, Tailevu.

The victim, who had a known medical condition, allegedly drowned while swimming out at sea near his village.

“A post-mortem examination will be conducted to ascertain the cause of death,” police said.

As investigations continue, we learn that police were searching for three people who were believed to have been swept away by strong currents while fishing at the Korociri River in Nadi yesterday. By 7 o’clock last night, police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro confirmed they managed to recover the body of a 59-year-old woman as the search continued for two children aged eight and seven.

The incident happened after 1pm and the woman’s body was recovered from where they were last seen.

Again, we are reminded about water safety as we head into the new year. We are reminded to be proactive.

Every year we talk about accidents. We talk about people drowning. Yet every year it continues.

Accidents happen because we allow them to. Around this time last year, we highlighted the need for us all to be proactive about water safety.

In fact data was released in January last year, focusing on statistics for drowning incidents.

The revelation that 17 people drowned during natural disasters between 2017 and August 2021 attracted attention.

The data was released by the Fiji Police Force and was highlighted by National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) director Vasiti Soko.

The majority of these incidents, she noted, involved people being swept away by strong currents while trying to cross flooded rivers, creeks, and streams during disasters.

“This is why the NDMO continuously pleads with the public to stay away from these flooded areas. These fatalities can be reduced because avoiding drowning is well within our control,” she said.

Members of the public, she said, needed to remember that crossing flooded rivers and streams could result in loss of lives and also place search and rescue teams at risk.

We highlighted the fact that the World Health Organization noted drowning as the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7 per cent of all injury-related deaths. Global estimates may significantly underestimate the actual public health problem related to drowning. Children, males and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk of drowning.

The WHO stated that in 2019, an estimated 236,000 people died from drowning, making drowning a major public health problem worldwide. In 2019, injuries accounted for almost 8 per cent of total global mortality.

Over half of the world’s drowning happened in the Western Pacific regions and South-East Asian region.

As we face changing weather patterns, accompanied by heavy rain around the country, we, once again, urge Fijians to be mindful of water safety. Ideally every Fijian should be a capable swimmer. You’d think there were many reasons for parents and guardians to encourage children to learn to swim. Unfortunately not everyone is a good swimmer, and there are many reasons for that.

In an ideal world, we all would be very good swimmers, and understand and appreciate water safety. However, we are not in an ideal world. As parents and guardians, we can’t take anything for granted. Adhering to water safety tips becomes a critical element in the fight against drowning.

So let’s be proactive and vigilant and let us appreciate the power of nature. Let’s be careful around floodwaters, and let’s not push the boundaries and place our lives at risk.

Stay well and stay safe Fiji!