Hyderabad: With the onset of summer, private swimming pools are mushrooming in the city and its outskirts. A majority of these pools do not have adequate safety measures, trained coaches and do not follow safe swimming practices.
Private pools claimed three lives including that of two students last month. While GHMC pools allows only registered members, private pools which charge people on an hourly basis do not insist on membership. Anyone can step in. With temperatures soaring, more and more people are going to pools and private pools are fleecing the public.
Setting up a swimming pool involves standard procedures and safety measures. Private pools adopt short-cuts, as adhering to rules means huge investments and costly equipment. As per rules, a pool should have a life guard and a coach; at least two persons in each shift. The pools should also maintain water quality by treating it with chemicals. Life jackets, life rings, tubes and other equipment must be in place. While GHMC pools have all these private pools have only minimal facilities.
“The pools run by the government and clubs like the Nizam Club, Jubilee Hills Club etc comply with norms. But most private pools ignore these things,” GHMC coach Umesh Gandle said.
“Apart from this learners must be separated from swimmers. There should be a safety lane to separate the deep and shallow areas inside every pool. Before learning to swim, one should get a medical certificate to ensure that the individual is fit to learn swimming,” added Umesh.
