Africa-Press – South-Africa. Children 4 years old and younger are most at risk of drowning of all the age groups, a new study by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has revealed.
The NSRI released its findings of a study on fatal drownings between 2016 and 2021 at a press briefing on Monday.
The institute said it determined that between 2016 and 2021, drownings occurred more frequently in freshwater in South Africa.
Executive director of drowning prevention at NSRI, Dr Jill Fortuin, said the purpose of the study was to provide an overview of fatal drownings in South Africa between 2016 and 2021.
Fortuin said the study confirmed their concern that drownings were more prevalent among the 0 to 4-year-old age group.
“There have been 2 755 drownings over the six-year period among that age category, which is alarming,” she said, adding that the study also showed that KwaZulu-Natal had the highest incidence of drowning.
The Eastern Cape had the second most drownings with 1 869 drownings reported.
“It is followed by Gauteng, which has 1 006 reported drownings and the fourth province is the Western Cape with 864,” she said.
The NSRI found that males represented 81% of all the drownings during the period of the study, which she said could be attributed to more risky behaviour.
Fortuin added that alcohol remained a major contribution to drownings.
“Alcoholism plays a massive role and it’s a South African problem,” she stressed.
The study also found drownings frequently occurred during January and on a Sunday.
NSRI CEO Dr Cleeve Robertson said 95% of drownings that occured, happened inland.
“South Africa is a hot and dry country so when it gets hot and dry people want to swim, and people do not float as well in freshwater compared to saltwater. There is a wide variety of rivers, canals where people go to swim but don’t have the swimming ability to survive,” he added.
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