Water Safety New Zealand highlights urgent need for funding to end drownings

With today marking World Drowning Prevention Day, Water Safety New Zealand has condemned the lack of funding from the New Zealand Government for water safety education and drowning prevention.

Highlighting that number of drownings in 2023 - 90 - was above the 10-year average of 82, but lower than 2022’s 94 preventable drownings, Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) figures show that, of the 90 drownings, 26 were at beaches, 24 in rivers, 11 in pools and 11 offshore.

Men aged over 45 made up 58% of the provisional total of 90 preventable drownings in 2023.

WSNZ says that the lack of New Zealand Government funding for water safety prevention is the key to bringing down these statistics, adding that road deaths are around three times water deaths annually but road safety prevention gets tens of millions more in prevention funding each year.

WSNZ Chief Executive Daniel Gerrard said $62 million went into Ministry of Transport's education and prevention programmes in 2023, while Water Safety New Zealand received $4 million to do the same work.

World Drowning Prevention Day
Aiming to raise awareness and accelerate action on global drowning prevention, World Drowning Prevention Day, observed on 25th July each year, underscores the urgent need for coordinated multi-sectoral action to combat this leading cause of injury-related death and disability worldwide.

Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Backed by the World Health Assembly Resolution WHA76.18, passed in 2023, this year, under the overarching theme ‘Anyone can drown, no one should’, the World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen the slogan ‘Seconds can save a life’

As Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, explains “this highlights the dual nature of drowning: it can occur in a matter of seconds yet taking a brief moment to act - whether by wearing a lifejacket, keeping watch over children while they are near water, checking the weather forecast before boating, or choosing safety over distraction - can prevent a tragedy.

“Drowning is a sudden and silent killer, often catching victims and those around them unawares until it is too late. A few seconds may not be enough time to respond. The power is in prevention.

“Globally, an estimated 236,000 lives are lost to drowning every year - an average of 650 every day, or 26 every hour. This silent epidemic of preventable deaths excludes drownings related to flood disasters and water transport incidents, thus underreporting the true magnitude of the issue.

“In our South-East Asia Region, the consequences of drowning are particularly devastating. In 2019 alone, drowning claimed 70,034 lives, making it the second-highest contributor to drowning deaths worldwide after the Western Pacific Region. Most of these tragedies occur within proximity of the home, primarily due to lack of supervision, exposure to hazardous water bodies, lack of awareness and education, as well as poverty.”

WHO is currently finalising the Global Status Report on Drowning, set to be launched by the end of 2024. This report will provide updated information on the global burden of drowning and will generate key recommendations for impactful actions at global, regional, and national levels.

Click here to engage with World Drowning Prevention Day.

Main image credit: WSNZ.