I am pleased to endorse this Drowning
Prevention Report for Sri Lanka which
has been compiled by the Life Saving
Association of Sri Lanka and Life Saving
Victoria, with the support of the World
Health Organization.
Drowning is a significant cause of death and injury
in Sri Lanka. Those affected are from all age
ranges, and incidents occur around the country
in many different circumstances.
Up to now, accurate statistics on the number and
causes of drowning incidents in Sri Lanka have
not been analysed and compiled. The extent of
the issue, the characteristics of drowning victims
and the activities they were undertaking at the
time has not been analysed at a nation-wide level.
This means that the best methods to combat
the causes of drowning have not necessarily
been employed.
This report provides an evidence-based analysis
of drowning incidents in Sri Lanka and evidencebased
recommendations for drowning prevention
and improved water safety. It will provide the
basis for the development of a holistic approach
to the drowning issue in Sri Lanka.
Australia shares the common goal of drowning
prevention, and I am very pleased that Australian
expertise has been used to help compile the report.
I congratulate the Life Saving Association of
Sri Lanka, Life Saving Victoria, and the World
Health Organization in Sri Lanka on their initiative
and collaboration in taking forward this important
and valuable project.
I hope that this report will provide the basis for
further steps in Sri Lanka’s efforts to combat
causes of drowning and that it will contribute
to a significant drop in the toll taken by drowning
in Sri Lanka in the future.
The launch of the report, a decade after the
Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004, is
a symbolic reminder of the terrible toll that can be
taken by drowning, whatever the circumstances.
As the report is launched, we have an opportunity
to remember and pay tribute to victims of the
tsunami and to express the hope that, regardless
of the circumstances, deaths by drowning in
Sri Lanka will be significantly reduced in the future.
Robyn Mudie
Australian High Commissioner