How to save a life

• Life Saving Association of Sri Lanka launches inaugural Drowning Prevention Report

The Life Saving Association of Sri Lanka and Life Saving Victoria recently hosted the launch of the inaugural Drowning Prevention Report for Sri Lanka. Developed with the support of the World Health Organisation, the report analyses the prevalence of drowning related deaths in Sri Lanka and the need for water safety. Sri Lanka has one of the highest drowning rates internationally, ranking 12th highest in a comparison of 61 countries, and 10th highest when compared to 35 Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC). The Life Saving Association of Sri Lanka is a National Association listed under the Ministry of Sports and the national representative for the International Life Saving Federation and the Royal Life Saving Society. Life Saving Victoria is a quasi-government entity in Victoria Australia that is the peak water safety agency in the State, representing Surf Life Saving Australia and the Royal Life Saving Society. Life Saving Victoria provides public services including coastal rescue and education and public awareness programming, and commercial services including training, research and risk advisory, retail, hospitality and event management. In an exclusive interview with the Daily FT, Mevan Jayawardena, General Manager Commercial Services, Life Saving Victoria and Sanath Wijayaratne, President, Life Saving Association of Sri Lanka spoke about the report and their vision for the future.   Lifesaving services     Q: Tell us about the inaugural Drowning Prevention Report. Why is the publication of this report so significant? MJ: On average, over 855 people drown in Sri Lanka each year, a drowning rate of 4.4 deaths per 100,000 persons. Given issues with reporting, these figures may indeed be even higher. In the last 10 years, it is estimated that over 8,500 people have drowned in Sri Lanka. The Drowning Prevention Report provides an evidence-based analysis of drowning incidents in Sri Lanka and evidence-based recommendations for drowning prevention and improved water safety. This report is significant because it is the very first report to detail the extent of the drowning issue in Sri Lanka. It has involved extensive collaboration and collation of information from numerous government departments and non-profit organisations to present a holistic depiction of the state of the drowning issue, as well as drowning prevention activities that have been occurring in Sri Lanka over the past 10 years. Ten recommendations have been developed to address the main issues. The information in this report will provide the basis for the development of a holistic approach to the drowning issue in Sri Lanka.   VISIO - ECON + TOUR BENEFITS   Q: Who is drowning in Sri Lanka and where? SW: Males were four times more likely to drown than females with a drowning rate of 7.2 deaths per 100,000 population compared with 1.6 deaths per 100,000 for females. The North Western province had the highest estimated drowning rate in Sri Lanka, at 6.3 deaths per 100,000 people. This was followed by North Central province (5.4 deaths per 100,000 people) and Southern province (4.9 deaths per 100,000 people). In terms of raw figures, the Western province had the highest average annual frequency of drowning (236 people), likely as a result of its high population. Lakes were a key location for drowning incidents in six of the nine provinces. Lakes were followed by oceans/beaches in four provinces; wells/open cisterns also in four provinces; rivers in three provinces; and reservoirs/tanks in three provinces.   Q: How was the data in the report compiled and over what period? SW: This report includes unintentional drowning deaths reported in Sri Lanka from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2006 and 1 January to 31 December 2009. Drowning data were not available for 2007 and 2008 due to some data being missing after the war. Information on unintentional drowning deaths was collected from the Registrar General’s Department which extracted the data based on the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD) reporting system. Qualitative evidence was sought from Sri Lanka Police, Sri Lanka Coast Guard and Sri Lanka Navy personnel as well as swimming teachers and community groups working in lifesaving and water safety. Organisations that were involved in drowning prevention and water safety activities in Sri Lanka in the past 10 years (2004-2014) were approached to complete a survey describing these activities. The survey was provided to 108 organisations. Site visits were conducted, and meetings were also held with key stakeholders including: WHO, Ministry of Health, Foundation of Goodness and Jetwing Hotels.   Q: What is the relationship that the Life Saving Association of Sri Lanka has with Life Saving Victoria? MJ: Since 2012, Life Saving Victoria, in partnership with the Life Saving Association of Sri Lanka, has delivered a range of internationally recognised training programs to Sri Lankan personnel across a range of industries including tourism, swimming and lifesaving and the armed forces. This has helped increase the profile and the importance of developing lifesaving in Sri Lanka.   Q: Sri Lanka has one of the highest drowning rates in the world, what is the reason for this? MJ: Key factors reported to be involved in drowning were, alcohol consumption around water, lack of lifejacket wear on boats, lack of supervision, lack of water safety skills and knowledge, flooding from monsoonal rainfall, uncovered or unprotected wells and reservoirs/tanks. These factors are not dissimilar to those seen in other low and middle income countries; however, it should be highlighted that in Sri Lanka, an island nation with an abundance of natural and man-made inland waterways many people lack even basic swimming ability and water safety skills and many water bodies are easily accessible. For example, unprotected wells and open irrigation channels are common island-wide, as are unpatrolled beaches and inland waterways such as reservoirs and lakes, where people commonly recreate, bathe or wash. Drowning incidents often occur as a result of unintentional entry into water. Key issues that inhibit drowning prevention efforts include a lack o f learn to swim programs, lack of identified safe swimming zones with lifesaving services, difficulties for many to access safe swimming environments and/or lessons, lack of resources to promote and deliver water safety education and awareness.   Q: What steps can be/are being taken to lessen this rate? SW: A great deal of work is being done to prevent drowning by a number of non-profit organisations government agencies, armed forces and schools. The majority of water safety activities have focused on education, training and rescue and response services. The most common programs delivered were water safety education programs, First Aid training, and swimming lessons. The majority of these programs have been run free of charge to participants. Over recent years, there has been continual increase in the provision of trained lifeguard personnel at a growing number of aquatic locations. Furthermore, water safety awareness campaigns and community education sessions have been delivered to educate Sri Lankans on how to minimise exposure to water and create safer environments, particularly for children.   MJ: Significantly more work is required. There are still many potentially dangerous water bodies in Sri Lanka and the risk posed by many of these can be minimised. The 10 recommendations of this report are: 1. Teach basic swimming, water safety and safe rescue skills to at-risk groups 2. Train bystanders in safe rescue and resuscitation 3. Implement drowning prevention public awareness campaigns to at-risk groups 4.Continue to develop lifesaving services operation 5. Develop a national water safety plan 6. Improve research capability 7. Harness the value of tourism from lifesaving 8. Control access to water and/or provide safety warnings 9. Develop guidelines for safe swimming pool operation 10. Build resilience and manage flood risks   Q: Give us an insight into the lifesaving services offered in Sri Lanka and the current programs run by the organisation? SW: A lifesaving service is comprised of trained lifeguards on duty with rescue and First Aid equipment. Lifesaving services are a key solution to addressing drowning deaths in open water environments such as beaches, rivers, lakes and reservoirs/tanks. There are 51 lifesaving service locations in Sri Lanka with a total of 1,319 qualified lifeguards performing duties. Over 400 rescues are reported to be performed each year by lifeguards – that is over 400 lives saved from drowning. It is reassuring to note the significant increase in lifesaving skill development in Sri Lanka, with over 11,000 people trained since 2012. Recently, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard has deployed lifesaving services at frequently visited open water locations across Sri Lanka. These lifesaving services are in addition to the service provided by the Sri Lanka Police and volunteer driven lifesaving clubs associated with the Life Saving Association of Sri Lanka.   Q: The wider impact of lifesaving in Sri Lanka? MJ: In addition to preventing drowning deaths and encouraging water-based recreation, there are economic and tourism benefits that flow from lifesaving services. These include increased water safety for tourists, increased use of natural assets, increased country differentiation, increased local employment, increased opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and increased foreign employment. Sri Lanka is abundantly endowed with beautiful and accessible open water environments that are ideal for water-based recreation. Complementing these natural environments with lifesaving services makes for a promotion and utilisation of Sri Lanka that is vastly untapped. It is important for government, businesses and communities to understand the benefits that can be drawn from lifesaving services in Sri Lanka and action strategies for realising these benefits. To download the report, or learn more about the Life Saving Association of Sri Lanka visit www.srilankalifesaving.lk.