Cox’s Bazar marked World Drowning Prevention Day with a call to action against the silent crisis of drowning deaths in Bangladesh and around the globe. On Friday (25 July) morning, the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB)’s ‘Sea Safe’ project organized an awareness rally from Laboni Point along the beach.
Trained lifeguards under the Sea Safe project joined the rally, spreading messages of water safety among tourists visiting the country’s longest sea beach.
“Every year, around 235,000 people die from drowning worldwide. In Bangladesh, nearly 19,000 people lose their lives to drowning annually, with an average of 50 deaths every day—40 of them being children. This is a silent pandemic,” said Imtiaz Ahmed, Field Team Manager of the Sea Safe project, during the rally.
He noted that the United Nations recognized 25 July as World Drowning Prevention Day in 2021, emphasizing the need for people to become more aware, learn safe behaviors around water, prioritize swimming lessons, and follow lifeguard instructions while visiting the beach.
Imtiaz Ahmed also called for coordinated efforts from both the government and non-government sectors to reduce drowning deaths in the country.
Sea Safe lifeguard supervisors Saifullah Sifat, Mohammad Osman, and other project team members were also present during the event.
Notably, the Sea Safe project has been working in Cox’s Bazar since 2014 to prevent drowning deaths. So far, it has rescued 795 people alive from the sea while actively promoting awareness initiatives across the region.
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Abdu Rashid Manik
