New study aims to find out how many people in India use lifejackets Premium

Study in India focuses on increasing lifejacket use to prevent drowning, highlighting water safety concerns and statistics.

Just about a month ago, India was rocked by the death of fifteen persons, including four women and two children, who died after an Indian Navy speedboat crashed into a ferry, leading to its capsizing, off the Mumbai coast. The ferry was carrying passengers to Elephanta Island, a UNESCO world heritage site and popular tourist destination.

The incident threw the spotlight, once again, on water safety in India, after survivors alleged that the ferry did not have enough life jackets for its passengers, and officials said the vessel was carrying over 100 passengers against its capacity of 90.

A staggering 71% of deaths caused by drowning in India are due to accidental falls into water bodies. In 2022, India reported 256 boat capsizes as per the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) statistics. And yet, usage of lifejackets and the implementation of regulations requiring life jackets on water transport facilities, remains poor, says Jagnoor Jagnoor, a public health researcher and programme lead for injury, The George Institute for Global Health. 

To understand how often people wear lifejackets and how more usage can be encouraged, the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR), as part of its first-ever initiative on drowning prevention, has now begun a study. 

Focused on fishermen, boat operators and tourists in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where water transport use is common, the study aims to find out how many people wear lifejackets and why they choose to wear or not wear them. It also aims at developing a strategy to encourage more people to use lifejackets by engaging with experts and local communities. The study will then evaluate if this plan was effective in increasing the use of lifejackets and therefore, reducing the risk of drowning. The project is also expected to develop a tested behaviour change intervention to improve the use of lifejacket wear among boaters.

This is “the first research in India aimed at gathering evidence to promote lifejacket use and reduce risk of drowning,” the ICMR said in an email communication to The Hindu.

The ICMR is collaborating with The George Institute for Global Health, India, on this project. Dr. Jagnoor, who is working on the project said that overall, we know very little about where drowning happens, especially among adults. While globally, children aged under 5 account for the largest single share of drowning deaths, in India, the picture, as per NCRB statistics, is a little different: over half of all drowning deaths (51%) are amongst the economically active 18 to 44 age group. More males than females in India die of drowning, over 80% were males as per NCRB figures.