Lakshmi Chaudhary
Janakpurdham, 18 Aug: Statistics have shown that the number of children dying due to drowning in Madhesh is increasing day by day.
In the past three years, 340 out of 586 drowning deaths in all eight districts of Madhesh have been children, and the number of boys among the deceased children is higher than that of girls, according to statistics from the Madhesh Province Police Office.
On July 24, a sister drowned in Bhaiya Pokhari in Kapileshwor Bazaar Tole, Janakpurdham Sub-metropolitan City-16. The deceased were four-year-old Aarohi Kumari Raut and three-year-old Maithili Kumari Raut.
Both had gone to bathe in the pond in the morning. While bathing, they fell into deep water and drowned as they could not be saved. Both were taken to the hospital, but the doctors declared them dead.
Similarly, in the previous month, Ritik Shah, 7, and Ritish Shah, 5, of Municipality-2, Sarabe, drowned in a ditch dug for road construction in Kamala Municipality of Dhanusha. The deceased children were the sons of brothers Ram Babu and Shyambabu.
Similarly, on Ashad 20 last year, three girls drowned in a public pond in Bahuarba, Dhanauji Rural Municipality-5, Dhanusha. The deceased were Muskan Khatun, Jinat Khatun and Ajmeri Khatun.
These three girls, aged between 10 and 12, had gone to bathe in a local snail pond. While bathing, they suddenly started drowning and were rescued by local youths after a commotion. However, one of them died on the way to the hospital for treatment, while two others died during treatment.
In this way, children are losing their lives prematurely every year. According to the Madhesh Province Police Office, 586 people have died in Madhesh due to drowning in the last three years, of which 340 are children. Of these, 227 are boys and 113 are girls.
According to statistics, the total number of drowning deaths in Madhesh in the fiscal year 2081/082 has reached 256, including 96 boys, 54 girls, 82 men, and 24 women.
Similarly, in the fiscal year 2080/081, out of 175 people, there were 73 boys, 39 girls, 50 men and 13 women, while in 2079/080, out of 155 people, there were 48 boys, 33 girls, 62 men and 12 women, according to the statistics of the Provincial Police Office.
Police Inspector Sonu Kumar Shah, Criminal Investigation Officer at the Madhesh Province Police Office, said that most of the children drowned due to diarrhea, haphazardly dug ditches, and negligence of parents. According to him, more boys than girls and more men than women drowned.
Statistics show that among the eight districts of the province, the highest number of drowning deaths are in Dhanusha, while the lowest number is in Parsa.
