The Saint Lucia Life Saving Association (SLLSA) has expressed alarm over the growing number of drownings in the country, especially among men under 35.
According to the association, 2024 has seen a disturbing rise in such tragedies, highlighting a critical gap in national policy and strategy to address water safety and drowning prevention.
“The need for a national water safety policy has never been more critical,” the SLLSA declared.
An SLLSA release referred to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) published in 2020, indicating that drowning deaths in Saint Lucia reached 9, accounting for 0.68% of total deaths.
“The age-adjusted death rate stands at 4.88 per 100,000 of the population, placing Saint Lucia at #28 globally—a startling statistic for a small island nation already grappling with capacity shortages,” the release said.
It noted that Saint Lucia’s appeal as a rapidly growing visitor destination is mainly due to its captivating beaches and waterfront attractions.
However, the SLLSA lamented that despite recorded incidents involving both locals and visitors, a comprehensive water safety strategy or established demarcations for various types of recreational water activities still need to be developed.
“This lack of oversight and planning is a serious concern for the SLLSA, which has tirelessly advocated for enhanced water safety measures since its establishment in 1994,” the association said.
The SLLSA is the local counterpart of the International Lifesaving Society (ILS) and the Commonwealth Lifesaving Society, formerly the Royal Lifesaving Society.
It trains and certifies individuals in lifesaving skills, including the Lifesaving Awards endorsed by the International Life Saving Society (ILS).
In addition, the SLLSA coordinates lifeguard services for mass-crowd water-related events.
The association said all authorized Carnival-related beach events for the 2024 season benefitted from having SLLSA lifeguards on duty.
Looking ahead, the SLLSA revealed that it will host training programs for new candidates and refresher sessions for already certified lifeguards and lifesavers from August to October 2024.
In this regard, the organisation urgently called on all relevant stakeholders, partners, and government agencies to support its ongoing efforts to improve public safety and capacity development in lifesaving.
