Swimming, a life skill, can be taught from a young age and parents ought to take the initiative even before installing a swimming pool at home, say experts.
As cases of drowning increase, the Civil Defense and Ambulance Authority are urging the public to pay special attention to avoid water related accidents while enjoying the outdoors.
The victims tend to be people who do not know how to swim. The places that record frequent drowning are beaches, valleys and irrigation canals, dams and water ponds, wells and open water tanks as well as the valleys during flash floods, according to CDAA.
The CDAA lists the reasons for drowning as not knowing to swim, disregarding warning signs, risking and crossing overflowing valleys and random attempts to save people from drowning resulting in more victims. Other causes of drowning incidents are lack of adult supervision over children while visiting the beaches and valleys. Other reasons are individuals choosing to swim in locations not intended for swimming such as agricultural ponds, dams and irrigation canals.
Do not have a pool at home unless you know how to swim. I have noticed that here, having a pool is more for decoration and most parents don't even use their pool or even know how to swim. Also, parents should invest in swimming classes for their kids if they have a pool at home
Madiha Madni al Bakry, swimming instructor
Last month, the World Health Organization said drowning is now a leading cause of death for children aged under five in many countries.
Around 2.5 million people died by drowning in the decade to 2019, the WHO said, as it set out a series of simple measures to help reduce the "entirely preventable" toll to mark the first World Drowning Prevention Day on July 23. The WHO said that around 60 percent of all drowning deaths were among those under the age of 30, with the highest rates among children aged under five.
According to Madiha Madni al Bakry, who has been a swimming instructor for the last 15 years and has trained more than 350 children, the ideal age to learn to swim is two and a half years of age. “This is the best age to start, as the children that age don't have much fear and are fast learners,” said Madiha.
“You should always have eyes in the back of your head, accidents happen and the moment you turn away, things escalate very quickly so parents should always be watching,” she noted.
“Do not have a pool at home unless you know how to swim. I have noticed that here, having a pool is more for decoration and most parents don't even use their pool or even know how to swim. Also, parents should invest in swimming classes for their kids if they have a pool at home,” Madiha pointed out.
Swimming is a lifelong skill and once taught it stays with the individual forever. There is a growing trend in vacationing in farmhouses and the danger is that many of the youngsters do not know swimming.
“The cases of drowning here are so high and it's sad as we have access to the sea and pools unlike other people who live in areas away from water. Start the kids early with swimming, don't wait until an accident happens in order for parents to realise,” urged the swimming instructor at Mady’s Swim School.
The CDAA has listed out safety measures for the public to keep in mind. In addition to sticking to allocated locations, CDAA has stated that it is important to have provision of safety rings and jackets at the swimming sites. They have also warned against filling the pool in full. Adults should also ensure that the children are out of the pool before they leave..
It has stated that swimming pools should be fitted with fixed metal ladders and have handles distributed around the pool.
The CDAA also stressed on the importance of having a swimmer to watch over the children while they are in water. “When necessary, call the emergency hotline: 9999 or 24343666,” CDAA has urged.
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