World Drowning Prevention Day is marked each year on July 25 to increase awareness about preventative and safety measures, as well as highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities.
Phuket Vice Governor Danai Sunantarod presided over the opening ceremony of the event, held at the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket in Patong.
Also present was Matthew Barclay, the Australian Consul-General in Phuket, and Bjorn Courage, President of the Phuket Hotels Association, along with representatives of a host of government agencies, and from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command.
“Tourism in Thailand is coming back to recover, so the risk of tourists drowning is also increasing,” Vice Governor Danai said.
“Phuket and its charm of the sea is attracting both domestic and international tourists, and the number of tourists coming is more than last year. However, during the rainy season, or the ‘monsoon season’ on the Andaman coast, there are unpredictable dangers that may arise from the sea.
“We still hear about deaths of tourists in popular beach areas, with tourists swept off rocks or swept out to sea by strong currents. This is a problem that must be taken seriously,” he said.
Mr Danai pointed out that according to the World Health Organisation there are on average 360,000 drowning deaths per year worldwide. Of those, 146,739 are children under the age of 15, he said.
“in Thailand, during the past 10 years (2012-2021), 36,915 people have died from drowning, of which 20.5% (7,374) were children under 15 years old,” he said.
Under the national government’s 20-year strategic plan, the aim is to reduce the number of child drowning deaths in Thailand to “2.5 people per child population” by 2027, said an official report of the event.
However, the report did not give a figure for what the national government recognises as the current “child population” of Thailand.
Regardless, the government is aiming to reduce the number of child drowning deaths in Thailand by 50% (of the unknown number) by 2037, the report said.
“The importance of government and private sectors cooperating sincerely to join together to raise awareness of the problem and help prevent water accidents is therefore important and Phuket has given more importance to water safety because drowning can be prevented and avoided through education, care, prevention training and awareness of self-care,” Vice Governor Danai said.