SERANG, BANTEN —-— On Thursday (May 19, 2022), the Disaster Management Center (DMC) of Dompet Dhuafa conducted underwater rescue and search training on Tunda Island, Serang Regency, Banten. The training lasted for 3 (three) days.
Mega Rizky Damayanti, the training instructor, observed that the DMC Dompet Dhuafa team was able to follow the guidance and instructions properly and accurately.
“The DMC team is doing well. They can follow the instructions and adapt to the terrain effectively,” explained Mega.
The training was conducted in several sessions, starting from a depth of 5 meters, 15 meters, 20 meters, and so on. Using complete equipment, including oxygen tanks, the team attempted to dive against the strong water pressure.
Despite some rain, the weather was otherwise very favorable for the training, motivating the team to continue with the deep water rescue training.
“Thank God, the weather was very favorable,” Mega continued.
The WHO estimates that in 2019, 236,000 people died from drowning, making drowning a major public health problem worldwide.
Drowning deaths occur in all economic groups and regions, but low- and middle-income countries account for more than 90% of unintentional drowning deaths, or 212,400 lives; more than half of the world’s drowning cases occur in the WHO Western Pacific Region and the WHO South-East Asia Region.
Globally, the highest number of drowning victims are found in the age range of 1-4 years old, followed by children aged 5-9 years old. Furthermore, it is explained that global deaths due to drowning during floods reach 75% or equivalent to 177,000 people. This incident could become more severe as a result of climate change.
The risk of drowning due to flooding is most often found in low- and middle-income countries where people live in flood-prone areas and the ability to warn, evacuate, or protect communities from flooding is weak or underdeveloped.
Pada tahun 2017 di Indonesia, ditemukan rata-rata kematian akibat tenggelam mencapai 2,2 per 100.000 penduduk, atau setara dengan 5.823 korban tenggelam.
“Tim DMC Dompet Dhuafa berlatih untuk aksi penyelamatan air di kedalaman 5 meter, 15 meter, 20 meter dan seterusnya. Pelatihan ini bertujuan agar nanti ketika ada upaya pemyelamatan yang membutuhkan keahlian deep water rescue, teman-teman DMC selalu siap sedia,” jelas Haryo Mojopahit selaku Chief Executive DMC Dompet Dhuafa.
“Ada beberapa pengalaman deep water rescue yang pernah dilakukan oleh DMC Dompet Dhuafa, misalnya kasus Sriwijaya Air, Lion Air dan lain sebagainya. Oleh karena itu menjaga kompetensi dan menjaga kesiapsiagaan para personil akan terus selalu dilakukan,” tutup Haryo. (Dompet Dhuafa / DMC)