Govt establishes Water Activities Safety Council

PUTRAJAYA: The government has established the Water Activities Safety Council to deal with water accidents, including drowning.
The council, led by the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry, comprises of various ministries and groups including the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Life Saving Society Malaysia and various other NGOs.
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Mohammad Mentek said the objective of the council was to gather information and work together to prevent such incidents.
"According to the Statistics Department, the average number of drowning cases in a year between 2009 and 2013 is about 596 cases – which is about 1.6 drowning cases a day," he said after the council's first meeting today which was chaired by Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan (pix).
He said one of the objectives of the council is to address the problem of coordination between the various agencies dealing with such incidents, including the Fire and Rescue Department, the Civil Defence Department, local councils, water recreation parks and NGOs.
Mohammad said the council will be drafting an action plan for 2016-2020 to bring awareness about water safety around bodies of water.
"The council also decided that it will draft an action plan, best practices for water safety, and coordination in information regarding water accidents soon," he said, adding that the information and action plan would be used by local councils and other agencies as a guideline in the near future.