| Popis: |
Sri Lanka is a tropical Island located in the Indian Ocean with inland waters. Sri Lanka has one of the worst rates of drowning deaths in the world with 3 deaths on daily average, totalling over 800 drowning deaths per year according to Sri Lanka Drowning Report 2014 and 2020. According to the World Drowning Report, 2014 the country is internationally ranked 12th in a comparison of 61 countries, and 10th highest among the low and middle income countries. However, the 2020 drowning report revealed that Sri Lanka has improved to reach 14th, due to the implementation of Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Action Plan from 2017–2020. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) of Sri Lanka has taken a holistic approach with the technical support from the local and international lifesaving institutions. Initially, DMC has established the national steering committee for drowning prevention and water safety and five working committees, which include public sector, private sector, NGOs and INGOs to prepare a National Plan of Action (NAP) on Drowning Prevention and Water Safety for Sri Lanka. The NAP is aimed to utilize existing resources with an approach to turn the same problems into opportunities. It is also aimed at creating an economic environment through tourism, and to provide basic swimming training for schools including a “Swim for Safety” program in the curriculum. Other objectives of the NAP are to ensure the safety of water related activities while building the capacities of first responders enhancing employment opportunities and promoting water-related recreational activities through tourism. Media has to make the community aware with adequate information. Existing regulations are empowered and new regulations are imposed to prevent deaths due to drowning and water related activities through proper monitoring. The aim of this paper is to create a platform to share the Sri Lankan experiences and lessons learned from developing and practicing “National Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Action Plan 2017–2020”. |
