West Bengal loses 25 people to drowning every day: Survey
A new survey shows West Bengal loses over 25 people to drowning every day—more than 9,100 a year.
Nearly half of these are children aged one to nine, making the state's drowning rate more than double the national average.
Kids between 1 and 9 make up almost half victims
Kids between one and nine make up almost half of all drowning deaths here, with toddlers facing three times the risk compared to older kids.
Most incidents happen in rural areas, often within 50 meters of home and usually around midday when supervision drops.
Only about 18% of victims have death certificates mentioning drowning
Only about 18% of victims have death certificates mentioning drowning, so actual numbers are much higher than official records show.
This underreporting makes it even tougher to tackle the problem.
Experts say urgent action is needed
Experts say urgent action is needed—like fencing off water bodies and creating "Kavach Centres" for child supervision in high-risk spots such as the Sundarbans.
The survey calls for community-based prevention and CPR training so more lives can be saved.