GHAZIABAD: To ensure safe swimming in the city, the Federation of Association of Apartment Owners (FedAoA) has proposed to the civic body a list of guidelines for construction, operation and maintenance of swimming pools in housing societies in Ghaziabad. Currently, there are no official guidelines to regulate residential society pools.In a letter to Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) on Tuesday, the RWA umbrella body highlighted the negligent practices prevalent in swimming pools in housing societies and also suggested several safety measures to prevent drowning or any other life-threatening situation.The various inadequacies identified by FedAoA include absence of a lifeguard near the pool area, lack of statutory rules displayed on boards outside swimming pools, absence of warning boards for people with heart ailments and poor vision, and use of the pool by inexperienced divers without any supervision.Suggestions for safe swimming include installation of railings and walls for protection around the boundary of outdoor pools, use of pool covers to prevent unofficial access to water, provision of entry to the pool only from the shallow end, display of warnings to apprise people of the depth of the pool, use of slip resistant and non-abrasive steps, and provision of a ladder in the deep end of the pool.The FedAoA has also suggested underwater pool lighting to increase visibility after dark and earmarking of pool area to be used by children below the age of 15 years.Moreover, according to the RWA umbrella body, lifeguards shall possess a "Lifesaving Technique" certificate from the Institute of National Institute Of Water Sports in Goa, and shall be equipped with an emergency action plan (EAP) to deal with any emergency situation.In the proposal, it's also suggested that the use of pool should be limited to the residents of the society, shouting and loud sounds that can distract the lifeguard shall be avoided, and fixation of hours of pool operation.Speaking to TOI, Alok Kumar of FedAoA and a resident of Arihant Harmony Society , said, "Last year a child drowned while swimming in a pool in Amrapali Royale Society and various similar incidents keep on happening every now and then. In my personal experience, when I objected to a few women who were swimming around 3 am in an inebriated state in our society's pool, they demanded the governmental guidelines from me but I had nothing to show.""Hence, after speaking to the previous vice chairman of GDA, I realised there are no standard guidelines which are available to discipline people's pool interaction and safety is being compromised. Hence, we consulted experts from Mumbai and Haryana and compiled this list of guidelines for GDA's review," he added.

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