COVER STORY
Every year, monsoon brings happiness and sorrow for our people. While the children often enjoy the trickling of the rivers and delightful showers, the flash floods they bring are quite devastating. For the past many months, the rivers and nullahs in Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh, and Punjab have received so much rainwater that they have turned into overflowing and raging torrents. Heartbreaking videos surfacing on social media show villages submerged, streets turned into streams and the connection between cities cut off.
Along with destroying homes, livestock and crops, another tragedy is quietly unfolding - the rising toll of children who drown. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says that many children have been killed in this year’s floods, either slipping into floodwater and not returning or attempting to cross swollen rivers to reach safer ground.
Drowning is one of the leading causes of children’s deaths in Pakistan. More broadly, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates that as many as 6,000 children die of drowning each year in the country in rivers, canals, ponds, or uncovered water tanks in urban areas. In rural areas of Balochistan and Sindh where homes dangerously cluster close to rivers, children are often seen playing near natural water bodies, resulting in their drowning and deaths.
These tragic floods teach us that water, which is rightly deemed as a friend and essential for life, can often turn deadly when not respected. Drowning risks rise when floods strike; therefore, it is very essential for children to learn about water safety if they are to withstand its perils.
Children are at greater risk
Children are like inquisitive monkeys, curious to absorb anything around them. A shiny glass filled with water, a galloping river or a small bucket filled with water looks tempting. But this temptation, coupled with the lack of swimming skills, makes them more vulnerable to drowning.
Drowning is often known as ‘the silent killer’. Unlike in movies, where people wave or splash their hands, drowning in real life happens very quickly and silently. The person often slips into water without a sound and disappears into the depths in minutes or even seconds.
Health experts believe that children under the age of five are at greater risk of drowning since they can drown in a small amount of water. An uncovered water drum on a rooftop, a swimming pool, a garden pond, or even a bucket filled with water can kill them in seconds if they are unattended.
Another reason is that many villages in Pakistan are built near waterways such as rivers and canals. In rural areas, children are often seen playing near them, unaware that the water current could pull them in at anytime. Coastguards in the coastal belt, particularly in Karachi, are seen warning people to stay away from the water currents and strong waves that can sweep them in if they go too deep.
Another important reason is that we don’t have swimming classes in our school curriculum. Unlike many countries where formal swimming training is mandatory for children at the school level, most of our children don’t get formal swimming coaching, making them unable to swim, float, or even tackle emergency situations when they accidentally fall into deep water.
How to prevent drowning
Drowning can be prevented if we follow some simple rules. Just like we carefully look both ways before crossing the road, we need to be extra cautious when going near a river, canal, or lake.
Children shouldn’t go near water - deep or shallow - without an adult because even shallow water can be lethal if there is a strong current or a child slips in. Joking, pushing, or playing near water should be avoided since many tragedies begin with a small shove. Always wear a life jacket when swimming in a pond or riding a boat because it is just like a seat belt - it keeps you safe and can keep you afloat if you accidentally fall into the water.
Lifeguards often follow the ‘buddy system’, which means never go swimming alone but with a friend, and always look out for each other.
Essentially, children should be eager to learn swimming not as a sport but as a survival tactic. If your school or community is offering swimming lessons, join quickly to learn how to float, stay calm, and keep your head above water. You don’t need to be a champion swimmer - even mastering how to float could help rescuers save you in time.
What children should do when
they or their friends fall into water
Some children fall into water even when rules are followed. When you fall into water, the foremost thing is not to panic, since getting tense could make you heavier and less buoyant. Avoid splashing your hands and fighting with the water; instead, try to float like a starfish - spreading your legs and arms and turning your face upwards to remain above the water. One of the advantages of practising floating in supervised swimming lessons is preparing oneself for emergency situations, because when your body already knows how to float, the mind becomes calmer.
Start making a noise - shout or splash water if you can - to alert the adults around you. If no one is around, move to the shore slowly if you are close to it, or grab onto something solid like a pole, rope, or some grass, and wait patiently till help arrives.
Unfortunately, witnessing a friend drowning can be frightening, but diving into water without skills can risk two lives instead of one at the same time. The newspapers are flooded with incidents where one child jumps to rescue another and gets pulled underwater. Stay calm and remember these four golden words: Call, Reach, Throw, Don’t Go.
• Call loudly for help so that an adult or lifeguard comes to help.
• Reach out to your friend with something long, like a rope, stick, or even a tree branch.
• Throw something floatable - like an empty water bottle, a ball, or a tube - so that they can hold onto it.
• But don’t go or jump into the water unless you are trained.
Being a friend doesn’t mean risking your own life, but acting smartly and wisely so that both you and your friend are safe.
What can others do
It isn’t only the children who need to learn water safety rules. It takes the combined efforts of parents, communities, and schools to reduce the number of such incidents.
Parents should never leave their children alone near water. Tanks, drums, and wells need to be covered. Most importantly, teach your children water safety rules just as you teach them about traffic rules.
Communities can help by providing basic swimming lessons, fencing dangerous ponds and lakes, or setting up warning signs around them. Giving basic CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) lessons to parents and adults would come in handy since quick action after drowning makes a huge difference.
Schools should include swimming classes to prevent drowning. Basic lessons like how to float and stay calm can reduce these cases. We need to learn from our neighbouring country, Bangladesh, where ‘safety huts’ are created for children to play in water under adult supervision instead of roaming around canals and rivers.
Respecting water can save lives
Water is our constant companion; it keeps us alive, and is essential for growing our crops. And, it brings joy in the form of rain after months of heat. But it turns into a devestating force in the form of floods, as seen in the ravages it has inflicted on Sindh and Punjab, displacing millions of people in recent days. It is therefore of utmost importance to remember the safety rules when you are close to a riverbank, canal, tank, or open drain.
Being courageous doesn’t mean jumping for a friend or close associate without skills. Be attentive when you are close to a river, and alert your adults when you see one of your friends or siblings drowning. Importantly, follow the water safety rules just as you would wear a helmet when you are on a bicycle. You may never fall, but it is there just in case.
Every child has beautiful dreams and wishes to fulfil. By learning water safety rules and respecting water, you can make sure those enchanting dreams aren’t cut short by something that isn’t inevitable.