Mumbai: City’s public pools are a serious health hazard, say swimmers

By Anurag Kamble Diwakar Sharma and Shirish VaktaniaThe lamentable condition of civicrun swimming pools across the city has been jeopardising the health of members who have been thronging them for decades This report which concludes a series on safety measuresmdashor lack thereofmdashat pools operated by the BMC highlights the travails of swimmers who visit poorly maintained swimming facilities at Dadar Andheri West Dahisar East Mulund and Chembur Besides being plagued by infrastructure issues the facilities frequently witness overcrowding and lack an adequate number of functional showers causing members to queue up before plunging into the poolJitendra Singh 53 who has been visiting the Dadarbased Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Olympic Swimming Pool for over four decades alleged ldquoAfter the facility was renovated the BMC stopped testing the pool water There is neither a plumber nor an electrician at this facility A newly installed fan is also dysfunctionalrdquoHe added ldquoAs the water quality isnrsquot being checked members are experiencing blackening and corrosion of teeth among other health issues probably due to high chlorinationrdquoAlso Read Mumbai Throwing citizens in at the deep endVidyadhar Modak 70yearold swimming enthusiastSingh stated that a professional swimmer is required to remain in the water for at least three to four hours a day ldquoBut the water which is not being tested as was the case prior to the renovation is turning swimmersrsquo white teeth brownrdquo Singh addedldquoThe staining of teeth is very common among those who spend hours at the Dadar facility This is alarming and civic body must look into the matterrdquo he addedDental damageVidyadhar Shankar Modak 70 who has been visiting the pool since 1963 alleged that its chlorine level is to blame for his dental woes ldquoI have severe experienced pain in the teeth Initially I did not understand the root cause of it but my dentist and other members told me that the pool management might be using an inadequate amount of chlorine or other chemicals to keep the water cleanrdquo Modak saidThe Kalidas pool at Mulund West which allegedly lacks a first aid kit on Thursday PicRajesh GuptaHe added ldquoThough I had been complaining a lot to the management they did not pay any attention Later many others started to complain of blackening and tooth sensitivityrdquoldquoI had been swimming at the facility since I was 10 and had never faced such issues I have not swum there for the past six months as the water was deteriorating my gums and teeth I donrsquot have any toothaches now I still visit the facility but only to do exercises and yoga and meet my old friendsrdquo Modak addedThe Andheri WestOther members stated that a 108 ambulance is stationed at the facility ldquoBut if there is an emergency call it is driven to the callerrsquos locationrdquo saida memberA source stated ldquoShould any emergency arise when the ambulance is away the person will have to be carried on the shoulders of members or pool staffrdquoldquoA person has been given the contract for housekeeping security and lifeguards I had also filed an RTI regarding this but the civic officials did not respond to my queriesrdquo alleged SinghThe Dahisar swimming facility which has broken tilesOther members told midday that there is an inadequate number of lifeguards at the facility ldquoAt a time there are only six to seven lifeguards But the bills take into account the required number of lifeguardsrdquo said SinghPrashant Pradhan 69 who has been going to the Dadar facility since 1969 injured his foot last Saturday at the pool ldquoIn a span of nearly 10 months I cut my foot at the same location twice while swimming The facility has no first aid box A staff member somehow stumbled upon a box but there was no cotton or medicine inside itrdquo he allegedDysfunctional fan and showers at the Dadar facilityldquoI am on a blood thinner and lost a lot of blood due to the delay Meanwhile the ambulance driver gave me a small piece of cotton but again there was no medicinerdquo he addedHe stated ldquoI preferred to go to a nearby doctor My foot was so badly injured that flesh had come out Now I am on medication and healing at homerdquoDurven Naik 17 a nationallevel swimmer and Santacruz resident who has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records visits the Dadar pool every day He said ldquoThe arrangements are not up to the mark there are no doctors on hand The biggest issue is the chlorine level It has taken a toll on my teeth I have to spend more than Rs 3 lakh to treat the issue I am sure many others are facing the same problemAccident in AndheriThe situation is no better at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Kreeda Sankul pool at Andheri West On Thursday a swimmer experienced severe cramps after she allegedly took a plunge from a height at the facilityThe manager of the facility Raju Vernodkar said ldquoA few days ago we had displayed a notice requesting members who are not eligible at present to dive into the pool from a height not to climb atop the bridge But the members started to create chaos and the incident occurredrdquoWhen midday visited the spot the injured member was seen lying in an ambulance A doctor arrived 30 minutes after the incident ldquoAfter inspection she was rushed to RN Cooper hospitalrdquo Vernodkar saidAsked why no one stopped the swimmer while she was climbing the bridge he said ldquoThe members create chaos stating that they are paying to use the facilityrdquoDahisarThe Andheri facility however is comparatively better than Shree Murbalidevi Swimming Pool at Dahisar East which members said say lackambulance servicesA source at the pool said that tiles need to be replaced at the facility ldquoSince itrsquos peak season the management has decided to replace them in June or July when there is comparatively less influx of membersrdquo he saidThe facilityrsquos manager Sameer Patkar said ldquoWe have received complaints from members about broken tiles Earlier the BMC installed baby pool tiles Currently it is not possible to change the tiles because the summer season has started We will change it in June The swimming pool is 25x15 feet in area We have a first aid box stretcher and six lifeguards If we need an ambulance in an emergency we dial 108rdquoMulundThe Kalidas pool at Mulund West which boasts more than 4000 members has been at the centre of controversy Technically there are two pools in the facilitymdasha 25x25m diving pool and a 25x50meters poolmdashboth of which need urgent attention members stated The tiles of the deck they alleged have not been cleaned while the filtration plant which is about 37 years old is causing a rise in the pH level of the water Overcrowding is another issue In 2019 the pool was shut for over a month for maintenance but members said it made no differenceVilas Singh Rajput who has been visiting the facility for 20plus years said ldquoAt a time there are more than 100 swimmers in the pool which can lead to accidents Also only six lifeguards are there Most of them donrsquot keep an eye on the pool There is no ambulance doctors or first aid kit The waterrsquos chlorine content is always high and its effects linger for a long timerdquoHe added ldquoWe have reached out to officials but they refuse to acknowledge the issuerdquoVikram Samant who enrolled last year said ldquoThe pool was very dirty The lifeguards were not watchful There were other issues too that put me off I stopped visiting the pool last monthrdquoChemburThe facility housing the General Arun Kumar Vaidya Olympic Swimming Pool at Chembur East also has a baby pool and diving area The entire premises can accommodate 300 swimmers at a time In March a member collided with another in the diving area resulting in one sustaining nearfatal injuries Earlier a woman died of a heart attack while swimmingKailas Advade a member said ldquoThere are broken tiles which cause injuries On Wednesday a girl sustained an injury There is a shortage of rubber mats which forces us to walk very cautiously after coming out of the pool The pool has a stretcher a wheelchair and first aid kitrdquoHe added ldquoThere is an issue with the water It causes eye irritation and blackening of the skinrdquoAkanksha Deshmukh the pool manager said ldquoWe have increased vigilance and precaution after the unfortunate accidents We have closed the 4th level of the diving area and have asked trainers to be extra vigilant as many amateurs are coming to the pool area The pH level of the water gets checked every day but I will monitor the situation henceforthrdquoBMC responseDeputy Municipal Commissioner Kishor Gandhi said ldquoIt is true that members have raised teeth issue at the Shivaji Park Dadar facility But they are only five per cent of the members and this issue was raised a couple of months back We have to use an extra dose of chlorine after the pool is cleaned and its water is changed We have suggested that the members use tooth capsrdquoHe added ldquoIt is not financially feasible to appoint doctors and nursing staff and station ambulances at each pool in MumbairdquoldquoThe 108 ambulance service is provided by BMC but doctors are appointed by the state government So it wonrsquot be wise for us to comment on doctors We are inspecting the pools to meet the demands for stretchers at the facilitiesrdquo he statedTalking about the decaying tiles at Dahisar and other facilities he said ldquoIf the tiles need to be replaced we will do so at the earliestafter inspectionrdquoAsked why legal action wasnrsquot taken against the instructor or coach who gave the green signal to swimmer A M Shaikh who received 26 stitches on his head after another member dived into him at the Chembur pool in February Gandhi said ldquoI will conduct an internal enquiryrdquoSingh the Dadar poolgoer said ldquoThe BMC is not a profitmaking body Its focus must be on the safety of Mumbaikarsrdquo8No of pools run by BMC1963Year Modak first visited Dadar poolAdvice from docsDr Uday Khopar a dermatologist said ldquoChlorine is added to swimming pool water to avoid infections Those with sensitive skin will definitely feel irritation if they stay in the water for a long timerdquo He added that the pool water must be changed regularly and then chlorine should be added to avoid any untoward effects on the swimmerrsquos body ldquoPersons with infections and injuries should not venture into swimming poolsrdquo he saidDr Dimple Padwe dean Government Dental College said ldquoChlorinated water has a pH that can cause dental erosion if a person swims for long periods This erosion can cause sensitivity and staining of teeth One has to avoid going to pools with high levels of chlorine and if possible carry pH strips before swimmingrdquo