PMC declares every city swimming pool to stay shut till monsoon starts

Move taken in backdrop of water scarcity, as per state directives

In a move expected from the authorities in the face of the state’s drought situation -leav ing the public with no option but to beat the heat in other ways now -the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has taken the decision to close down all swimming pools across the city for the moment.The move was announced on Monday, in keeping with state government directives.At the general body (GB) meeting, two tenders to allot the running of PMC pools to two contractors were put forth for approval. Faced with these, corporators pointed out that leaving swimming pools operational despite the water shortage and state government directives is problematic. Thereafter, city mayor Prashant Jagtap ordered the PMC to close all pools, both private and cor poration-run. Addressing the meeting, municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar confirmed, “We have issued an order to close all swimming pools in the backdrop of the water scarcity situation.“

Meanwhile, the GB also passed the two tender proposals. Asked about these, PMC land and estate department head Satish Kulkarni said, “Although we passed the two tenders, the pools will remain closed thanks to the order. The contractors will not be able to operate these in summer, but can start after the season.“

Considering the drought situation, state water resources minister Girish Mahajan on March 18 ordered the closure of all water parks and swimming pools till the rains start.He also asked district collectors to ensure that there was no wastage of water during the Rangpanchami and Holi festivals.

The PMC has built a total of 21 pools across the city. Of these, 15 are operational and run by private contractors. Besides, there are a total of more than 325 pools in Pune.

Last year, in September, PMC had ordered all pools to be shut due to water scarcity. However, contractors had requested the administration to let them restart, saying they would not use tap water, but filtered borewell water instead, after which PMC gave them permission to start operations. Since September 7, 2015, PMC has been supplying the city water on alternate days as the water in the four dams is at a low. The civic body has also ordered that usage of water for construction, gardening, washing vehicles and filling swimming pools be stopped.

Source : Mirror