Lake regulars raise questions on absence of lifeguard at pool, lack of maintenance
Kolkata: Sixteen-year-old Shivam Kumar Singh's drowning at the public swimming pool at Rabindra Sarobar raised several questions about the safety and maintenance of the water body.
"Poor maintenance, absence of a lifeguard, no check on whether people entering the pool are swimmers or not, low dissolved oxygen and high sedimentation with unwanted aquatic plants and weeds could have all combined to lead to lead to the young boy's tragic death," said environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh, a regular at the Lake. "KMDA needs to address these issues to create a safer environment for pool users."
Some pointed out that that the condition of the public swimming pool had deteriorated over the years.
"The pool could have been better maintained. I visited the place nearly after 30 years on Sunday. Its condition has worsened," said Aparupa Saha, a Siliguri resident, who used to live in Dhakuria.
"Earlier, a lifeguard would be posted at the public pool. But now, no one, other than regular swimmers in the pool, is there to watch out for the others in the water. The boy could have been saved had there been a lifeguard," a Lake regular said.
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"Also, the pool is filled with algae and weeds, which have not been cleaned."
Ghosh demanded regular maintenance and inspection, along with proper supervision by lifesavers. "Those coming for a swim should meet the qualifications required," Ghosh said.
KMDA authorities conceded that there had been no lifeguard to keep a constant watch on the pool for the past few years. "The earlier lifeguard's tenure ended in 2017-18. After the Kolkata Improvement Trust (KIT) merged with KMDA, no new post for a lifesaver or lifeguard was created. It is a policy matter, which has to be decided by the higher authorities," a KMDA official said. "At the same time, it's practically impossible to find out if each and everyone entering the pool knows how to swim or not.
" The official claimed they had been conducting regular clean-up of the water body. "Some measures will be taken after a discussion," said a govt official.
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