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Just like roads, beaches and other bodies of water continue to claim victims, despite awareness campaigns aimed at summer visitors to respect safety measures and swimming hours. Since the start of the summer season on June 1, the total number of victims who have died by drowning has exceeded 90 deaths, according to the latest report established by the General Directorate of Civil Protection (DGPC).
The number of drowning victims reported by the General Directorate of Civil Protection is chilling, transforming the summer season, which is supposed to be a time of rest and vacation, into a period where the number of drowning deaths reaches alarming proportions, particularly at dams, lakes and other beaches.
In the last 24 hours alone, nine people have drowned and 1,045 others have been rescued on different beaches in the country, according to the report released yesterday by the DGPC. The total number of interventions carried out during this same period on the beaches monitored by the Civil Protection rescuers and divers reached 1,300, at a rate of one intervention every 19 seconds, the DGPC said.
Civil Protection elements recovered, last Tuesday, the body of an 11-year-old boy, who died by drowning in a beach permitted for swimming, in the commune and daïra of Sidi Lakhdar, in the wilaya of Mostaganem. In Oran, it is a 25-year-old young man who died by drowning in the beach permitted for swimming of Mers El-Hadjadj, and this outside of swimming hours.
The beach surveillance system under the General Directorate of Civil Protection carried out 1,190 interventions at the beginning of the week and was able to save 849 people from certain drowning and took care of 239 people on the scene. In addition, 101 people were evacuated to hospitals, while two others died by drowning at sea, particularly in the wilayas of Chlef and Mostaganem.
In Chlef, a 22-year-old man drowned in a rocky area where swimming is prohibited, in the commune and district of Ténès, while in Mostaganem, a 22-year-old man drowned in a place called Bahara Gharb, a place where swimming is prohibited, in the commune of Ouled Boughanem, district of Achacha. The two victims were evacuated to the morgues of local health centers by Civil Protection rescuers.
It should be noted that at the beginning of the week, the Civil Protection recorded the death of three people by drowning in water reserves, in the wilayas of Sétif and Tébessa.
In the wilaya of Sétif, these are two children aged 12 and 14, who drowned in a water dam, located in the commune of El-Balagha, daïra of Bir El-Arche. In Tébessa, this is a 25-year-old man who drowned in a hill reservoir, located in the place called Douar El-Maraghdia, commune of Bakria, daïra of El-Kouif. The victims were rescued and evacuated to the morgues.
It should be noted that in order to combat this “summer massacre”, a national prevention and awareness campaign on the risks associated with the summer season was launched in May by the General Directorate of Civil Protection.
This campaign aims to warn citizens against any dangers that may occur during the summer season, such as drownings (at sea or in bodies of water), forest fires, scorpion poisoning, traffic accidents or even food poisoning.
In order to carry out this mission, a rich and diversified program has been concocted, the first point of which concerns prevention and awareness-raising for the general public on the risks associated with the summer season, with an emphasis on schools, universities, professional training institutes and youth centers.
To do this, teams made up of Civil Protection elements crisscrossed schools to draw students’ attention to the unsuspected danger of bathing at beaches not authorized for bathing or in reservoirs, among other things.
For this summer season, the General Directorate of Civil Protection has once again increased its efforts in terms of beach coverage, using modern equipment such as zodiacs. It must be said that no one is safe because a simple cramp or simply prolonged presence in the sun can lead to a tragedy. It is therefore important to take into account the safety instructions issued by the General Directorate of Civil Protection.
This includes respecting the colour of the flag authorising or not allowing swimming, only going to beaches authorised for swimming, where there are Civil Protection officers, and not going beyond the safety markers. The DGPC also recommends that parents supervise their children, particularly those with water toys, and raise their awareness so as not to swim near dams, pools and water points, and to prevent them from going to rocky beaches.