Safety procedures were not followed, admit sports complex officials.
Qasim Siddique Hamid Ali, 7, drowned in a swimming pool at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex, also known as the Andheri Sports Complex, on Friday — two days after it was reopened. Initial investigations suggest that the child would have lived, if it weren’t for the negligence of the management running the pool.
Officials from the sports complex say the pool lacks even the basic safety provisions, and safety procedures are not being followed at all.
No in-house medic
Ali was alive for 10 minutes after being rescued by the swimming instructors. He was finding it difficult to breathe and had to be taken to a private clinic nearby as there is no in-house doctor at the sports complex. He was then taken to Cooper Hospital where he was declared dead.
According to officials, the in-house doctor left the job in 2007, complaining of low remuneration. There has been no replacement. The complex does not even have an arrangement with any private medic, which is prescribed in the safety manual compiled for swimming pools by the Rashtriya Life Saving Society (RLSS) India, a member of the World Water Safety.
Deputy municipal commissioner Chandrasekhar Rokade said admitted the problem. “We will start the in-house facility again,” he said.
No certified lifeguards
The lifeguards and instructors posted at the swimming pool are not certified. While they are trained in administering first aid, none of them are trained in life-saving. Most of them have graduated from the clerical staff.
Lifeguards are expected to take a week-long course with RLSS. They are certified only after passing oral and practical exams. Also, there are only five instructors and one lifeguard posted at the pool. Norms suggested a minimum requirement of 10.
The solo lifeguard, Vijay Shetty, is physically challenged. “He met with an accident two years ago and his lower limb movement is severely affected,” an official said.
Rokade admitted that there was a need to increase availability of trained lifeguards at municipal pools.
Safety apparatus missing
The safety equipment that is mandatory for a pool is missing at the sports complex. RLSS manual prescribes two life buoys, two rescue ropes, two light poles, an oxygen cylinder with a mask, a first aid box, etc. But many of these are unavailable at the pool. Officials from the civic body claim that most municipal pools are in a similar condition.
CCTVs will help keep an eye on swimmers
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to make use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera to curb incidents of drowning at municipal pools.
A senior civic official said the CCTVs will provide a monitoring tool that could help detect drowning episodes more efficiently. “In drowning cases, each and every second counts. A faster response will help us save lives,” the official said. He added that the footage gained from the CCTVs will also help them find out who is responsible and accountable for the accident.
The BMC will now be seeking expert advice on the number of CCTVs to be placed at its pools. The civic body also plans to educate swimmers and parents on safety measures that need to be taken to prevent such incidents.
A three-member panel appointed by mayor Shraddha Jadhav to look into the case are expected to visit the pool on Monday. The panel will also make recommendations on the upgrading that need to be carried out at public pools to improve their safety.
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