News
Child drownings in swimming pools raise water safety questions
View(s):By Minaza Hassan
In response to swimming pool accidents, Chief Inspector Mallika Arachchi of the Police Marine Division’s Life Saving Unit noted that there are 71 life-saving units in several areas that require attention, with 318 officers assigned to each unit.
“We hope to install more such units in places where people go for entertainment,” he said, stressing the need for vigilance wherever water-related activities take place.
The pool that claimed the life of five-year-old Nethuja Nirvan Herath
He highlighted that schools, hotels, and private facilities with pools must take responsibility to ensure that standard life-saving measures are in place, including qualified lifeguards and equipment.
“Awareness must be raised about the depth and strength of the water, and precautions must be observed,” Inspector Mallika Arachchi added.
Arlan Panagoda
He also warned that while some pools have warnings against swimming, many people ignore these, putting themselves at risk.
He advised swimmers to choose locations where others are present, so help is at hand in an emergency.
He also noted that lifeguards can only perform their duties effectively during daylight.
Homes, hotels and schools have pools but they do not have basic precautions.
“The recommended depth for building a pool is four feet, but this guideline is often overlooked,” he said.
Numerous reports of accidents in swimming pools, ranging from fatal drownings to falls, have drawn attention to possible gaps in safety.
Some of the most recent incidents involved the death of a boy in his early 20s after drowning in a swimming pool at a hotel in Katana last month, and that of a boy aged eight who fell into the pool during a birthday party in the Colombo Swimming club last week.
This Tuesday, another such incident occurred when a 17-year-old student from Dikwella, Vishmika Deshapriya, drowned while attempting to retrieve a ball from a swimming pool.
Nethuja Nirvan Herath
According to Dikwella Police Inspector Nilantha Samarasinghe, the incident occurred around 5 p.m. after the student had returned home from tuition and gone out to play cricket with his friends.
The ball had fallen into the deep end of the Vijitha Maha Vidyalaya swimming pool, which is about nine feet deep and Vishmika had reportedly entered the water to retrieve the ball.
By the time three classmates had jumped in, the boy had already sunk to the bottom.
They used an iron rod to pull him up and rushed him to the Karapitiya National Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on admission.
Two other boys were also taken to hospital.
The post-mortem examination was done by Judicial Medical Officer A.S.J. Seneviratne of the Matara Hospital, who confirmed that death was due to drowning.
In addition to this incident, on Thursday this week, a five-year-old child drowned during a school swimming lesson.
According to statements from the child’s uncle, Sampath Herath, the child and his sibling had been learning to swim at school before the incident.
Over 30 students were taken to a pool at a hotel in Nugegoda along with a coach, two teachers and two other adults to supervise and safeguard the children.
The coach had allegedly asked that the younger children use the main pool.
Vishmika Deshapriya
The five-year-old, Nethuja Nirvan Herath was also sent to the main pool and had slowly slipped into the deep end.
“None of the supervisors in-charge noticed the child’s struggle even after he had already floated to the surface, until a construction worker nearby called attention to what had been happening,’’ the uncle of the child, Mr. Sampath, told the Sunday Times.
Seven preschool staff members including the assistant principal and two swim coaches were arrested and remanded until October 22.
Eight-year-old Arlan Panagoda, died after falling into the pool at the Colombo Swimming Club on September 28 during a private birthday party. His father Prasad Panagoda has filed a complaint claiming negligence of the staff at the club.
(Additional reporting by T.N.Samarajeewa)
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