A teacher in the Mekong Delta province of Bến Tre's Mỹ Chánh Commune teaches children how to swim in a local lake.
HCM CITY — The Mekong Delta has the highest rate of drowning in the country, particularly in Đồng Tháp Province, where the number of deaths due to drowning is 10 times higher compared to that of dengue fever and hand, foot and mouth disease combined.
Over the years, though the number of children in the Mekong Delta who have drowned has fallen, the death rate remains high.
To minimise the number of cases, authorities at all levels have strengthened inspections and carried out a number of measures.
According to research by the United Nations Children’s Fund in Việt Nam (UNICEF Việt Nam), about 7,000 children drown each year in Việt Nam.
The number of drowning deaths reported in the Mekong Delta is high compared to other regions.
Đồng Tháp Province had 29 children died from drowning last year, 79 per cent of which were under six years old, according to a local report.
In the first quarter of this year, eight children drowned in the province.
“This is a huge challenge and concern in the province,” Đoàn Tấn Bửu, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said.
In Vĩnh Long Province, four people have drowned since the beginning of the year.
“Most children who drown are eight years old or younger,” said Phan Thi My Hạnh, deputy director of the province’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.
She explained that while some drowning cases had occurred because of parents’ and grandparents’ lack of attention to their children, other children had drowned because they did not know how to swim.
Phạm Văn Hiền, secretary of U Minh District’s Union in Cà Mau Province, said that two drowning cases had occurred since January this year and eight were recorded last year.
Most victims were children, Hiền said, adding that an unsafe, accident-prone environment with open ponds and lakes were also factors.
With the Mekong Delta being a flood-prone area, it is important for parents to carefully look after their children, he added.
Effective measures
Students in the Mekong Delta are now on summer break when the risk of drowning is very high, according to authorities.
Cà Mau Province People’s Committee has instructed schools to offer free swimming lessons for children and raise parents' awareness of the importance of swimming lessons and the potential for drowning.
The province also plans to impose strict penalties on transport firms that do not prepare life jackets for children.
Meanwhile, Đồng Tháp Province is publicly advocating swimming lessons for all children.
The province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has set a target for authorities to offer more than 1,000 swimming courses for 26,000 children between 7 and 15 years old this year.
The province also aims to have a swimming pool at all schools.
Bửu said that authorities, schools, families and all society should promote swimming lessons.
The Cần Thơ City’s Department of Education and Training has also encouraged parents to send their children to swimming courses.
Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, chief of the city’s Department of Education and Training, said that Cần Thơ City in recent years has had no student drowning cases since carrying out these measures.
Students in Cần Thơ City can learn how to swim at schools with a pool or at swimming pools that exist in all districts, Hùng added. — Khánh
