PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has closed seven unsafe swimming pools on Wednesday. The Corporation Land Acquisition Department has issued an order to close swimming pools till they fulfill the safety norms. They have been given seven days to make safety provisions and take permission to start the swimming pools.
The administration took the decision based on the safety audit of swimming pools.
On Tuesday, the Standing Committee tabled a safety report of the corporation run 31 swimming pools. Civic officials found that only four pools in the city are safe to swim. Around nine pools are partially secure for swimming while seven pools are insecure and remaining 10 are closed.
Anil Mulay, Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Land Acquisition Department said, “We have closed seven unsafe pools and instructed them to make provisions of safety which have been mentioned in the safety audit of pools.”
The swimming pools which have been closed include, Keshavraj Vithoba Dhere swimming pool (Yerawada), Nanasaheb Parulekar pool (Vishrantwadi), Dr APJ Abdul Kalam pool (Katraj), Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar pool (Sahakar Nagar), Yashkala pool (Shaniwar Peth), Late Piraji Koyaji Dangmali pool (Hadapsar) and Korve pool (Ghorpadi Peth).
Civic officials checked the water quality of the swimming pools which included clarity of water, leaves, algae, foul smell, water level (full, half or empty), safety precautions (trained and certified lifeguard, raised lifeguard stand, telephone on the premises, first aid kit available, pool lanes, rescue floats, ropes, poles and rings, oxygen equipment availability and floor deck with anti-skid surface/matting.
Also, in system and procedures protocol, the officials checked whether there is buddy system, adherence to pool rules, awareness in general pool safety procedure, qualification of guards as lifesavers and the record of incidents maintained.
In the emergency plan, the officials checked whether the pools had a partnership with a local hospital, whether all staff had been trained in the emergency drill conducted every month and first aid and rescue equipment availability on deck.
However, the corporation didn’t find all things mentioned in the emergency plan in seven unsafe pools.
