There is still the worry of children drowning.

In 2023, drowning was the cause of 25 deaths in Hai Duong, mostly children. Compared to 2022, the number of drowning accidents increased by about 10%. The tragic deaths of children cause pain and suffering for parents and relatives for the rest of their lives.

Stringing together the drowning incidents that have occurred shows that the direct cause leading to the tragic deaths above is that the children are young, hyperactive, busy playing, not fully aware of or ignoring the warnings about the dangers that always lurk when swimming in ponds, rivers, and lakes without an adult. Some children are subjective, confident because they know how to swim, deliberately hiding from adults to go swimming at the invitation of friends. Children's skills to escape and seek help when drowning are lacking or limited...

The tragic deaths of children also stem from the lack of supervision and determination of parents and relatives in educating their children about the dangers of swimming in rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes. Many people are busy working all day, leaving their children with their grandparents at home to look after. But in reality, many people are old, have poor eyesight, and are slow-witted, and cannot control their children's hyperactivity. Just being busy with housework and taking their eyes off their children for a few minutes can cause heartbreaking incidents. Furthermore, many families have ponds but have not built embankments to prevent the risk of drowning for their children.

The propaganda and guidance on measures to prevent drowning accidents are often of interest to localities, especially when summer comes. Every year, schools open swimming classes and equip students with swimming safety skills... These solutions are not enough if parents are subjective and lack determination. In addition to understanding psychology, educating and strictly prohibiting children from swimming without adult supervision, parents should let their children watch or read information about tragic drowning incidents that have occurred to warn them. Maintain close contact with the school and homeroom teachers to pick up or ask someone to pick up their children on time after school, do not let children wait too long, causing situations where children invite each other to go swimming. When busy, children should be sent to relatives who are healthy, alert, and capable of controlling and supervising their hyperactivity...

Summer is approaching, during the flag-raising ceremony at the beginning of the week, school activities need to spend adequate time to promote drowning prevention for students. There should be videos and illustrations shown on projector screens in classrooms about the dangers of swimming in rivers, ponds, and lakes, and tragic drowning incidents for students to witness firsthand and learn from their own experiences. In addition, continue to open swimming classes, equipping children with safety skills when swimming during the summer.

From urban to rural areas in Hai Duong, there are many ponds, lakes, and deep rivers. In many places, local authorities have directed the Youth Union to put up warning signs at these locations. However, just putting up warning signs is not enough. The Youth Union in rural areas needs to promote the spirit of volunteerism, assign union members to supervise during times when children often come to swim, and help handle dangerous situations that arise...

On hot summer days, swimming in ponds and lakes is a pleasure that almost every child enjoys. However, this pleasure comes with danger, and tragic deaths from drowning are always lurking. When will the fear of children drowning be alleviated? This is a question that the government, schools and families need to pay attention to, find an answer and join hands to take practical action.