Odisha may have managed to achieve zero casualties in some of recent disasters such as floods and cyclones, but drowning has emerged as a silent killer in the State — claiming 7,798 lives since 2020.
Most of these reports have been reported in normal days, not during flood. In the current year, 990 drowning deaths were reported till June 30. Experts believe most of these deaths were preventable.
Why does drowning not figure as a public health crisis in India?
Last month, two final-year MBBS students from Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) died after slipping while bathing at Deojharan waterfall in Jujumura area of Sambalpur district. On August 15, two Class VIII students drowned in the Daya river in Bhubaneswar, while another student lost his life in a canal in Cuttack district a day earlier.
According to figures released by the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), ex-gratia assistance of ₹4 lakh each was sanctioned against 1,589 drowning deaths in 2024. The toll had been much higher in the preceding two years, with assistance released for 2,196 deaths in 2023 and 2,119 deaths in 2022. In comparison, 1,398 drowning deaths were reported in 2021 and 1,095 in 2020.
A study titled “Understanding Drowning Fatalities in Odisha, India: A Data-Driven Approach” carried out by Utkal University, FM University and Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, says Drowning is the third most common unintentional injury-related death cause worldwide, accounting for around 320,000 deaths annually, or 7% of all injury-related deaths.
Drowning: A neglected public health crisis
Researchers call for urgent need for comprehensive public health interventions to address this critical issue and come up with effective drowning prevention strategies.
“Drowning is preventable. Everyone should learn the basic skill of staying afloat in water, which can be lifesaving during an accident. In our training programmes, we emphasize that this skill is simple to acquire with only a little effort.”,” said Ashok Kumar Baral, yoga trainer.
