Last week saw a spate of drowning deaths, and in most of the cases the victims were youngsters. Incidentally, such accidents rise sharply during the summer holidays.

The Guangdong center for disease control and prevention estimates that 4,400 people drown in Guangdong province alone every year, and most of them are minors. According to World Health Organization's data, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death of children between 1 and 14 years in China.

Repeated warnings from schools and the media have failed to lower the drowning rate in China, exposing the loopholes in children's protection, especially in rural areas.