Mothers Unite to Combat Rising Drowning Rates in India's Sundarbans

With heartbreaking stories of loss and tragedy, mothers in the Sundarbans are banding together to combat alarming drowning rates, establishing creches for child care while advocating for safety measures like pond fencing and CPR training to safeguard their communities.

In the Sundarbans, a gigantic delta encompassing 100 islands in India’s West Bengal state, the heartbreaking reality of child drownings is becoming all too common, with three children drowning nearly every day. This grim statistic pulls at the hearts of local mothers, who are now spearheading community initiatives to ensure the safety of their children.

Among the tragic accounts is that of Mangala Pradhan, who lost her one-year-old son, Ajit, over 16 years ago. He had wandered away during her daily chores, only for his lifeless body to be discovered floating in a nearby pond. This traumatic experience has fueled Mangala's mission, as she now participates in a local initiative that created makeshift creches under the auspices of Child In Need Institute (CINI). “These mothers are the saviors of children who are not their own,” reflects Sujoy Roy from CINI, highlighting the vital role of these day-care centers for children whose parents are at work.

The urgency of these creches stands stark against the backdrop of persistent drownings in the Sundarbans. Flooded with ponds used for various daily tasks, including bathing and drinking, the region has become a perilous landscape for young children. A survey from 2020 revealed that every day, nearly three children between the ages of one and nine drown, with the vast majority of incidents occurring when caregivers are preoccupied with chores.

As stories of loss resonate across the community, mothers like Sujata Das, who lost her daughter Ambika to a pond drowning, are raising awareness about preventive safety measures. Sujata plans to fence her pond and educate neighbors in CPR. “We have to prevent this tragedy from happening to others,” she insists.

Despite residing in a water-rich environment, mothers feel a pressing need to confront the dangers their children face, especially with the added threats of wild animals and rising waters during the monsoon season. Such realities have prompted the community to take decisive action—fencing off ponds, teaching children to swim, and instilling CPR training among locals. In the past two years alone, about 2,000 villagers have learned CPR, resulting in lives saved from drowning incidents.

In stark contrast to neighboring Bangladesh, where drowning has been heavily addressed through non-profit interventions leading to significant reductions in child drownings, the struggle in India has encountered hurdles due to local beliefs regarding water deities and the costly nature of implementing safety measures.

Even in the face of ancient superstitions, the mothers of Sundarbans continue to emphasize prevention and education. Mothers are learning strategies from successful outcomes in other water-logged regions globally, maintaining persistence against the odds to create a safer environment for their children.

With the establishment of creches serving as a crucial lifeline, and the sonorous refrain of a child's song reminding them not to wander near uncontrolled waters, the mothers of the Sundarbans are refusing to succumb to despair. They stand united, determined to break the cycle of loss and foster a generation that is informed, educated, and above all, safe from the lurking dangers of drowning.