A conference was conducted at the Moyna Block Conference Hall in Purba Medinipur to prevent child drowning deaths and raise public awareness. The meeting was organised jointly by the Child in Need Institute (CINI), The George Institute, and the Moyna Panchayat Samiti.

According to officials, a recent collaborative study by CINI and The George Institute for Global Health in West Bengal found that the state had an average of 25 drowning deaths per day, with about 12 of those deaths being children. Aside from the Sundarbans region, the study found that districts like Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, and Dakshin Dinajpur record relatively high rates of child drowning deaths.

It was mentioned that South 24 Parganas and Dakshin Dinajpur are presently implementing drowning prevention programs based on the CINI Method. Based on the outcomes of these interventions, similar awareness-based preventive activities are recommended to be adopted throughout the Moyna block in a gradual way.

The meeting was attended by Block Development Officer Jagannath Biswas, Moyna Panchayat Samiti President Sheikh Shahjahan Ali, Vice-President Ranjit Kumar Ball, ADA Ananda Shankar Sinha, Officer-in-Charge of Moyna Police Station, Block Medical Officer of Health Dr Debraj Das, Zilla Parishad Karmadhyaksha Abhaya Das, and heads of all Gram Panchayats under the block. Representatives from CINI, including National Advocacy Officer Sujoy Roy, members of the organisation’s Injury Prevention Team, and officials from The George Institute were also present.

The results of the state-level study were examined during the conference, and the administrative and community-level actions needed to stop child drowning deaths in the district were discussed. As part of the initiative, local kids acted in an awareness street play.

In order to properly handle the issue, officials emphasized the necessity of coordinated efforts between the community and the administration.

Priyanka Dutta