Tragedy as three-year-old boy falls and drowns in an unsecured septic tank

“I can't count how many times I ran over that septic pit. I had never heard of them before that day,” grieving mum Amanpreet said. 

It was a bright and brisk day in March when Amanpreet, her husband and two young children were throwing a housewarming party.

She was feeding her youngest baby when her husband came in asking if she had seen their three-year-old son, Nihal. 

She started to panic, but her husband dismissed any need for worry; he figured the three-year-old was running around somewhere and would show up. 

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Nihal fell on the unsecured lid of a septic tank. Source: 9News

Three-year-old drowned in an unsecured septic tank

The Wallan house was fitted with a pool and a pond, but the family had taken measures to ensure no one could accidentally fall in. 

But after a while, they still couldn’t find their toddler, and panic started setting in for both parents. 

The search became frantic, and it wasn’t until a witness spotted another child getting their foot stuck on the cover of a septic pit that they discovered the boy. 

Nihal stepped on the unsecured lid, fell and tragically drowned inside the septic tank. Emergency services were called at 1:50 pm, but the boy was unable to be saved. 

“I can't count how many times I ran over that septic pit,” mum Amanpreet told 9News. 

“I kept shouting, 'No, it's not Nihal. It's just his jumper.' But then a man pulled out the jumper, and it was my son.”

“We didn't get time to say goodbye."

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Kidsafe Victoria CEO Melanie Courtney is calling for mandatory screens to be installed on all septic tanks. Source: 9News

Calls for mandatory screens on all septic tanks

Since August 2022, three children have drowned in septic tanks.

Septic tanks are underground chambers used for sewage and wastewater. They’re typically found in the backyards of rural and older properties and frequently feature a solid lid that can be moved, broken or unsecured. 

Amanpreet told 9News she had no idea what a septic tank was, let alone its dangers. “I had never heard of a septic pit before that day. I didn't know what it was,” she said. 

Kidsafe Victoria CEO Melanie Courtney said a possible solution to the dangerous issue is to install safety screens over each tank in Australia. 

“It's a very simple mechanism that means if the lid fails, the child will not fall through,” she said. She further urged “all homeowners that do have a septic pit on their property to check their system, check their lid and make sure it's inaccessible to children.”

Originally published as Tragedy as three-year-old boy falls and drowns in an unsecured septic tank