It is known that 70% of the earth’s surface is made up of water, leaving a mere 30% for land-living animals to roam on. With this, I would like to focus upon the issue of drowning incidents on a global scale. An article by the World Health Organization (WHO) displays astounding statistics regarding the number of people that lose their lives due to drowning accidents.
As a Lifeguard and Swim instructor in Canada, teaching children how to swim and providing knowledge about water safety is something I value and consider to be of great importance. We have the facilities to encourage this life skill at a young age resulting in many citizens being able to swim. Of course not all Canadians are able to swim, this statement is a generalization based on personally growing up in a community where most of my peers were able to swim. On the other spectrum, if people are unable to swim, we promote the usage of life jackets, raise awareness about water and boating safety and the stress the dangers associated with being unsafe near water. Various preventative measures are taken to reduce the number of drowning incidences. Yes, these preventative measures are not fully met, as there are reports of people drowning, yet there is still a continuous effort to promote this life skill. Drowning prevention is a serious issue and safe practices and using caution while out in open waters and pools is culturally embedded in Canadian society.
A typical pool set up in Canada.
(Source: http://ellieannsoderstrom.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/public-swimming-pool-1.jpg)
Contrastingly, in many cultures in the world it is of the norm lack strong swimming skills and live in areas surrounded by bodies of water. These bodies include rivers, lakes, ponds, seas and oceans, which are of all shapes, sizes, depth and intensity. The WHO states that having high accessibility to water in people’s daily living environment such as living near areas with open water sources or working as a fisherman are huge risk factors in regards to drowning. Age is another risk factor as children under the age of five have the highest drowning mortality rates worldwide (WHO, 2012). Gender is another risk factor since men are more likely to engage in risky behaviour around water. In Bangladesh, drowning accounts for 20% of deaths in children aged one to four years (WHO, 2012), a truly shocking statistic.
Children playing in a local river.
(Source: http://repeatingislands.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/swimming.jpg?w=500&h=340)
This leaves me to wonder if it is simply the lack of awareness and education about water that causes these incidences to reoccur. Can it be, that if given the tools and knowledge people would focus on drowning prevention? Unfortunately, this is a major public health issue worldwide and there needs to be more focus on the issue to prevent unintentional injuries and deaths. Drowning prevention is a huge initiative that should be addressed to reduce the number of deaths world wide. The built environment, whether it is naturally occurring such as living near the seaside or artificial, such as a backyard pool which lacks a four-sided fence — are all dangers. While water is essential for life on planet earth, it is also has detrimental effects on those who are unable to swim.
Artifact Source:
The WHO Drowning Fact Sheet retrieved from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs347/en/
Time to Think Global 
