A research by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has revealed that 1,360 people die from drowning each year.

The study which aimed to establish the availability of drowning data in existing national and district-level data sources was based on a study of 52 districts.

The data was collected through individual interviews at the community household level in 52 out of 260 districts from January 2019 to December 31, 2021.

The study revealed that the average age of individuals who died through drowning was 23 years and survivors were identified as 29 years.

In both cases, males dominated, which was nearly four times higher than females.

The study again found that adults 20 to 34 years and young children under 5 were at the highest risk.

The children between 0 to 4 years of age most frequently died in water/septic tanks, pits and wells while children and adolescents from 5 to 14 years of age and 15 to 19 years of age often occurred in rivers.

An eight-member focus group discussion also revealed that alcohol consumption, lack of or limited use of life jackets, lack of or poor swimming abilities and limited access to swimming skill training contributed to drowning in Ghana.

Participants suggested that increasing access to and use of life jackets, improving boating regulations, and building bridges across water bodies amongst others can reduce drowning in Ghana.

The scientists in this study advise that “All stakeholders could benefit from devising a national water safety strategy and action plan where funding, advocacy, awareness, monitoring and evaluation will be included”.

Funding for the research was provided by CDC Foundation through a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The authors of the study from KNUST include: Profs. Peter Donkor, Easmon Otupiri and Emmanuel Nakua, while their partners from CDC are Danielle Fernandez, Tessa Clemens, and Michael Ballesteros.