A summer favourite, this pool needs attention

With broken shower heads and poor changing rooms, lack of bare necessities plagues Corporation swimming pool

March 06, 2018 07:59 am | Updated March 07, 2018 05:05 pm IST - MADURAI

Manual cleaning work under way at the Corporation swimming pool in Madurai on Monday.

Manual cleaning work under way at the Corporation swimming pool in Madurai on Monday.

As the harsh heat of March sun descends on Madurai, many have taken to the Corporation swimming pool to beat the summer. On March 4, the pool manager said that over 2,000 visitors paid ₹20 each to use the facility on an hourly basis. However, with broken shower heads and poor changing rooms, the lack of bare necessities plagues the pool.

This Olympic-sized pool, which is 50 metres in length, is the longest in Madurai. It has a total of 12 distinguishable lanes and the depth varies from four to 12 feet. The cost of maintenance is usually ₹1.5 lakh per month, says the contractor, who is in charge of the pool. A major portion of the income goes to electricity charges for cleaning the pool and use of chlorine gas chamber (to chlorinate the water). The labour force that maintains the garden and pool are paid by the contractor.

Monday is the designated cleaning day. Labourers use a high suction pump connected to a hole in the pool to clean the dirt at the 12-foot end. Regular manual cleaning of leaves, insects and dirt is done through the day and a filtration plant takes charge of recycling the water, says the manager.

However, a student from Thiagarajar College, who used the pool, said that the tiles were dirty. “The children’s pool is very poorly maintained too,” he added. Due to two deaths in recent months, the management has decided to limit the pool usage to seven feet. The student said that the move killed the ‘fun factor’ involved in deep-end swimming.

The main problem at the swimming pool, however, is the poor bath facilities for men and women. The women’s shower area has only one toilet-cum-bathroom. The other three rooms that have shower heads are all choked with miscellaneous scrap items. The men’s changing rooms do not have proper shower heads. The windows are broken and the manager blames the ‘hooligan’ crowd that visits the pool for the sorry state of affairs.

He says, “Only boys visit the Corporation pool. They treat this area as a tank and rarely swim in it. They splash around and have fun. We are not against it. But, they repeatedly break the showers, bathroom doors and windows. The replacement cost is high and maintenance is difficult.”

Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar inspected the pool about a month ago. Speaking to The Hindu , he said that plans were on to modernise the pool area. He said that estimates were being prepared to re-tile the pool, renovate the dressing rooms and provide better amenities. “Intermediate focus will be on changing rooms. Landscaping will be part of phase two,” he said.

Due to evaporation, the pool is already a foot lower than its usual depth - three feet. During the summer months of March to July, the pool usually requires 10,000 litres a day. How does the Corporation propose to supply this load of water? The Commissioner says that regular water supply will be made to the pool through pipes. “If there is a water crunch, we will temporarily shut the pool. However, I do not think that situation will arise,” he says.

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