Prioritise safety during water activities these school holidays: Bomba

KUCHING: Parents have been urged to give priority to their children’s safety when the latter are engaged in water activities during the school holidays.

State Fire and Rescue Department (Sarawak Bomba) director Datuk Khirudin Drahman said precautions are crucial to prevent untoward incidents during recreational activities at the beach or swimming pool.

“Parents are excited to bring their children out for recreational activities and spend quality time as a family during the school holidays.. However, I urge parents to exercise caution, prioritise safety and be vigilant.

“Water-related activities present a significant risk of drowning, especially for young children, who may not have strong swimming skills. Drowning stands as a leading cause of accidents among children and even seemingly shallow waters can pose hazards,” he told the New Sarawak Tribune today.

Khirudin warned that conditions at beaches can change rapidly considering factors such as strong currents and sudden waves.

“Parents must therefore be alert at all times of their children’s movements. They must also maintain constant supervision to ensure their children’s safety and be ready to intervene if needed,” he said.

The Bomba chief revealed that his department were involved in 50 drowning cases from January to November. Sibu recorded the highest number with 20 drowning incidents, followed by Bintulu (nine), Kuching (eight), Miri (six), Samarahan (three) and two cases each in Sri Aman and Limbang.

“A total of 41 cases happened at the river or riverbank areas whereas eight cases occurred at the beach and one case at waterfall or rapids. Most of the victims are male followed by the elderly and young children,” he said.

Khirudin assured that his department will continue to actively conduct its awareness and education programmes, particularly the Water Activities Safety Council (MKAA) programme for the public.

“We have conducted 10 MKAA programme involving more than 1,900 participants this year. So far, there are 29 teams comprising of 4,366 members have been established under this programme throughout Sarawak.

“While the number of drowning cases have shown a fluctuation this year, we will continue to conduct more MKAA programmes to ensure the community’s safety, particularly those who are residing near rivers and river banks,” he said.