Low-cost interventions key to preventing drowning deaths in India: Expert

Drowning, often unreported and misunderstood, remains one of the leading causes of child mortality in India, and it is entirely preventable through simple and low-cost interventions, especially at the grassroots level, according to an expert at a top UK-based institute.

Drowning is often categorised under unnatural deaths and not recognised by many governments as a serious issue, said Kate Eardley, Head of International Advocacy at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

India has played a key role in supporting the 2023 World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution on drowning prevention, signalling an important shift at the global level, Eardley told PTI in a recent interaction during her first visit to the country.

Drowning is still not recognised by many governments as a serious issue. It's often categorised under unnatural deaths' without acknowledging the scale or the solutions. But, drowning is preventable," she said.

India has also introduced a national strategy on unintentional injury prevention, which includes drowning as a priority. However, implementation on the ground, particularly at the state level, has arguably remained inconsistent, she noted.

The problem is especially acute in states like West Bengal.

Regions such as the Sundarbans are particularly vulnerable, where families often leave young children unsupervised near ponds and canals, while parents seek work, Eardley said.

Toddlers, many under the age of five, are at the highest risk. These are not isolated tragedies they are part of a larger, largely invisible public health crisis that continues to affect thousands of families every year, according to Eardley.

The tragedy is that many of these deaths are entirely preventable through simple, low-cost interventions, she pointed out.

The RNLI is partnering with the Child in Need Institute (CINI), an NGO in Bengal, to demonstrate how first-aid and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training for community members especially mothers can be effective in saving lives.

The idea is to start small. Show success stories, build proof of concept. Then, encourage the state and national governments to scale it. The CPR training goes beyond just resuscitation. It serves as a critical entry point for opening conversations with families, especially mothers, about the importance of supervision, fencing ponds, enrolling children in safe spaces, and recognising water as a risk environment for children," Eardley said.

Despite the challenges, she sees real potential in West Bengal's existing infrastructure.

The state already has systems like the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Service) and ASHA, which are strong foundations. The question is can these be adapted to address drowning prevention, without needing to create entirely new structures?  She also highlighted the state government's willingness to engage. They're not necessarily taking bold action yet, but recognising the problem is a major move forward, Eardley said.

Asked if swimming should be made mandatory in schools in India, Eardley supported the idea, saying that it should be done but with caution.

We need to be careful not to push for swimming before the infrastructure and safeguards are in place," she said.

"Policy without implementation is just paper. The goal is to create small, safe pilot programmes to demonstrate that swimming instruction is feasible and beneficial. Within three to five years, it would be amazing to have a commitment that every child in India learns to swim. But first, we need to train instructors, identify safe locations and secure sustainable funding, the UK-based expert said.

On whether there should be state-level action plans, owing to India's vast and diverse geography, Eardley said a one-size-fits-all policy is ineffective for the country.

It must have state-level action plans tailored to local risk factors, demographics, and existing government schemes, she explained.

According to Eardley, the lack of a dedicated budget for drowning prevention remains one of the biggest barriers.

Many interventions, such as water safety education in schools, awareness campaigns and community training, are low-cost and high-impact, she stated.

In the long-run, drowning prevention must be integrated into national and state health and education budgets, Eardley said.

In other countries where the RNLI has worked, including across Africa and Southeast Asia, similar models have helped governments understand not just who is drowning, but why they are drowning and what actually works to prevent it, she added.