TWO teenaged boys living in different parts of the country lost their lives to drowning on Sunday. Their untimely death is a harsh reminder that the water can be a dangerous place if one is not careful.

Additionally, it underscores the importance of learning how to respond to emergency situations that may occur in the water.

Statistics will show that our waterways are just as deadly as our roadways. Tragedy can strike at any moment and can easily end in fatality if the response is either slow or inadequate.

Given that Guyana has many rivers, creeks and waterfalls, and swimming in the neighbourhood trench is often the norm for many, it is reasonable to say that every citizen should possess basic swimming skills and must also be equipped with the requisite knowledge to handle emergency situations in the absence of trained personnel.

If we examine the two cases based on the facts provided by the Guyana Police Force, it can be concluded that things could have turned out differently.

Swimming, particularly in rivers, creeks and even trenches, is risky, especially if you are not a strong swimmer. There are many factors that ought to be taken into consideration, since, in the blink of an eye, swimmers can find themselves encountering difficulties.

In addition to a strong current, the swimmer may be unaware of the depth – one part may be very shallow, then a few feet out, it suddenly gets very deep.

Nathaniel Nelson, a 14-year-old Line Path Secondary School student drowned sometime around 07:30hrs while swimming and playing with others in the Corentyne River.
“Nathaniel went into the water, began struggling, and disappeared,” the police had disclosed. His body was found almost three hours later.

The other case is that of Anthony Gordon, a 13-year-old student of Wismar/Christianburg Secondary School, who was found at the bottom of the “Buck Town” Creek in Wismar, Linden.

According to the police’s account, the teen was in the company of two friends, aged 10 and 14 when he reportedly “ran into the water.” He was never seen alive again.
Residents who responded to his friends’ cries for help later found his body.

The efforts being made by the government to teach children proper swimming techniques while boosting their confidence in the water, cannot go unnoticed.

Thousands of children have benefitted from programmes organised and executed by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the National Sports Commission, over the years.

The “Teach Them Young” programme which is held during the lengthy July/August vacation period attracted 1,700 children in 2022. Similar numbers were recorded for previous years.

This year, an Easter “Learn to Swim” programme was held, which saw some 2,000 children ages six-16 years old receiving swim coaching at the Colgrain Pool in Georgetown (Region Four), Watooka Guest House in Linden (Region 10), Albion Estate in Berbice (Region Six), and the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown (Region Four).

The numbers prove that parents recognise the importance of their children learning to swim.

For this reason, every effort must be made to facilitate such programmes in other regions. Perhaps, several programmes can be held over the lengthy vacation period so that more children can benefit.

Over the years, too many children have been victims of watery deaths.

No one could definitively say that having strong swimming skills might have helped the teens who perished on Sunday, but at least, all children their ages should be provided with the resources and an opportunity to learn to swim.

Children will be children. They will often give in to the irresistible urge to plug into the gleaming black water of a creek or the murky water of the trench around the corner, without understanding the dangers of such an action.

Every effort should be made to protect them from themselves. Teach them to swim early. Educate them about the dangers of swimming and where they should not venture on these swimming expeditions. And most importantly, teach them how to respond in the event of an emergency.

Doing all of the above could help save our adventurous children from untimely deaths and protect families and communities from heartbreak.