Nivriti Butalia is assistant comment editor at The National
July 24, 2023
The UN observes dozens of commemorative days throughout the year, most of which are intended to shine a spotlight on to problems so that we can try to fix them. One such day is World Drowning Prevention Day, on July 25.
Different from World Water Day in March – widely covered and popular with environmentalists, or Tsunami Awareness Day, in November – it is a relatively new addition to the roster of days, having only been introduced in 2021, and perhaps not a year too soon.
Every year, nearly a quarter of a million people die from drowning – 90 per cent from low and middle-income countries and most of them young children.
There were a few unfortunate cases in the UAE that led to a change in regulations in recent years. In May 2021, a 32-year-old woman drowned off the coast of a beach in Umm Al Quwain. Her husband and twin children were also in peril but were saved.
In January of last year, a toddler died at a hotel pool in Ras Al Khaimah. His anguished mother, despite not knowing how to swim, dived into the pool to save him. A hotel guest had to jump in to save the mother. These are rare tragedies in this country, but after this spate of cases, the UAE last August said that children under the age of five would not be allowed in the adult swimming pools in hotels.
A man dives into a pool in Yemen's capital Sanaa. AFP
Why should it be the case that globally so many people drown? Some of these incidents can be prevented. One straightforward solution is to teach more people to swim. More parents ought to take children to swimming classes and remove the fear of water from young psychs. Apart from the umpteen benefits of pure physical exercise, these classes give children a useful – sometimes life-saving – skill.
Countless people could benefit from swimming classes at the beaches that would ideally welcome people across nationalities, genders, income and age groups
It's easier said than done, of course, considering the sheer number of people in the world who have not or cannot take swimming lessons.
The 76th UN World Health Assembly, which took place in Geneva this May, adopted its first resolution on drowning prevention that suggests six low-cost measures for countries and organisations to put into practice.
These include: training bystanders in safe rescue and resuscitation; setting and enforcing safe boating and shipping and ferry regulations; improving flood management locally and nationally; installing barriers to control access to water; providing safe places away from water for preschool children, with capable childcare, and teaching school-age children basic swimming, water safety and safe rescue skills.
Students swimming class at Repton Abu Dhabi school Fry Campus, Al Reem Island. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Anywhere in the world, those guidelines are as good as any. In the UAE, which has spectacular swimming pools unlike other parts of the developing world where people have little choice but to contend with poor infrastructure, there is ample opportunity for parents and the wider community to boost their skills. Besides the quality, hygiene and sheer number of pools (and perfect weather much of the year to swim), there are professional swimmers in the UAE who've competed on the international circuit and taken on coaching. These are all part of the many opportunities here to pick up a sport and fine-tune inelegant swim strokes while learning valuable breathing techniques.
Schools could do their bit for those who want to learn to swim to tie up with sports facilities and make it relatively easy and inexpensive for all families to have their children attend swimming lessons. Often what comes in the way of learning to swim is access to a pool, perhaps a parent's limited skill in the water, or affordability.
Most children don’t go to schools that have in-house pools. Not every family in the UAE lives in an apartment block or a villa with such amenities, and coaching lessons can stretch the household budget. Generally speaking, though, there is no lack of swimming pools in the UAE, whether at public sports facilities, in residential apartments or in the vast majority of hotels, if not in every hotel.
While the relatively well-off can afford “day passes” to access hotel pools, countless people could benefit from swimming classes at the beach – much like open-air gyms installed in parks. It could be an inclusive community programme that would ideally welcome people across nationalities, genders, income and age groups. In this way, the UAE could really take the lead in training children and adults in a life skill and making sure people are as well-equipped in their freestyle strokes as in practising safety drills.
While this may be a bit optimistic, the more the number of confident, good swimmers who are trained in safety and rescue skills, the more people can benefit, pass on the skill to others who may want to learn and create a chain of actions that could, eventually, help lower that bleak statistic of 2.5 million people a decade who drown. That improved outcome, however, will not materialise overnight – nor will it happen by just staying away from the water.
People prepare to take part in the Oceanman Dubai, in Umm Suqeim. All photos: Victor Besa / The National
Oceanman open water swimming events give participants the opportunity to achieve their personal goals in unique locations.
Oceanman has 24 races in 17 different countries around the world.
Oceanman Dubai is organised under the aegis of Dubai Sports Council.
The event in Dubai had five different categories, for people of all ages – the 10-kilometre Oceanman, the 5km Half Oceanman, the 1.5km Spring, the 3x500m Oceanteam and the 500m Oceankids.
Deema Saidi and Mediha Diyaboglu before the race.
Josie Seidel inflates a flotation device before the race.
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Key facilities
Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side 8 There are eight players per team 9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one. 5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls 4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
