Starting blocks that were installed incorrectly at a recently inaugurated swimming pool in Malad have finally been dismantled in the wake of mid-day’s recent Test Drive series, which highlighted the risks posed to swimmers by civic-run swimming pools. Most such facilities lack adequate safety equipment. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) opened swimming facilities at Dahisar and Malad on April 1, but its inspection team apparently overlooked installation errors as starting blocks had been set up at the shallow end of the pool, endangering beginners.

A senior civic official assured mid-day that the starting blocks at the Dahisar facility, which is frequented by a number of beginners, will also be unscrewed soon. Following mid-day’s series, the BMC consulted experts and learnt that the starting blocks were installed at the shallow end for experienced swimmers who are aware of the specific technique, the slant dive, that must be executed on them to avoid injury.

After mid-day underscored the danger posed by the starting blocks, the usually tight-lipped BMC public relations officer (PRO) on April 27 send an email attempting to justify the move. But the PRO chose to remain silent when mid-day counter-questioned him about the severe lack of safety and medical infrastructure at the facilities. Each facility has nearly 2,000 members, and most of them are beginners, according to sources in the BMC.

Also Read: Mumbai: Did you know? BMC takes no responsibility for swimming pool mishaps

The dismantled boards

“Learners are always excited to execute nosedives. These novices climb atop the starting blocks installed at the shallow end of the pool and jump off. But the water is only three-feet-deep,” said a source. “Beginners often overestimate the depth of the pool and this could lead to serious to fatal injuries. It is good that you have highlighted the matter,” added the source. Sources had told mid-day that civic officials are on a spree to open swimming pools in Mumbai as ‘the BMC babus have to wow their seniors with the revenue they generate`. 

After the series was published last week, the BMC Public Relations Officer (PRO) Tanaji Kamble wrote, “We would like to clarify that the information mentioned in the news is not factual.” His email read, “Dahisar West swimming pool is a ‘practice swimming pool’ and not a diving pool. Hence, diving in this pool is not permitted. No diving board has been provided in this pool. The photographs in the article show a ‘starting block’ which is provided for racing and these are installed at the shallow end because the race starts from the shallow end and the swimmer is supposed to take a 360-degree turn at the deeper end without hitting his legs to the floor. The position of these blocks is not required to be changed.”

Asked about other infrastructure-related issues raised by this newspaper, he said, “I am waiting for the department concerned to reply.” A source at the Malad swimming pool asked, “Who will ensure that these dismantled starting blocks will not get misplaced? Civic officials might install them at their political masters` private pools to earn brownie points… who knows?” “The dismantled starting blocks must be kept at a location under the surveillance of CCTV cameras,” suggested the source.

BMC speaks

Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kishor Gandhi said, “After reading mid-day`s article about the Malad and Dahisar swimming pools, we studied the situation with the help of the experts. These are not diving boards but starting blocks, which are used in the Olympics. We learnt that they are dangerous for new swimmers and if a learner jumps off a starting board, they can get injured. As a safety precaution, we decided to remove the starting boards.”

He added, “But the recently opened facilities at Malad and Dadar are not Olympic-sized swimming pools. They are for beginners.” “The civic-run Shivaji Park swimming pool is an Olympic swimming pool where only professionals are allowed and we also fixed starting boards there at the shallow end. According to the Olympic swimming pool rules, these starting boards should be fixed at a height of three feet because this is the starting point for swimmers. Experienced swimmers know how to enter three-foot-high water,” DMC Gandhi explained.

“We have removed the starting boards from the Malad pool and they will be removed from the Dahisar one too. If any competition takes place at these two pools, we will fix the starting boards and remove them after the contest is over,” he said.

2,000
No of Malad pool’s members

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