Guidelines issued to make swimming pools safe for users

Thiruvananthapuram: As part of raising awareness about maintaining hygiene in swimming pools, the district medical officer on Saturday issued proper guidelines on the use of swimming pools. The operators and users are advised to strictly follow the preventive measures and not practice swimming in stagnant water.
“Since classes are held widely during summer vacations, it is important to stay alert. The guidelines were therefore released to spread awareness of proper swimming pool management and care,” said the district medical officer Dr Bindhu Mohan.
As per the directives, pool operators are to maintain the chlorine level in the water between 1 ppm and 2 ppm. The chlorine deposition should be checked daily and bacteriological examination should be done monthly. The pH value of the water should be maintained between 7.2 and 7.8. Alkalinity should be 80-120 ppm and calcium hardness at 200-400 ppm. The guidelines state that water quality testing should be done only in accredited labs and that the quality of the filter should also be ensured.
People with infectious diseases are advised not to use the pool and the pool water should not be consumed under any circumstances. Small children should be put in the swimming pool only after they are completely tidied up after using the toilets. Swimmers should seek immediate medical attention if they develop any health issues.
In the event of an outbreak, the swimming pool should be closed and chlorinated at a rate of 20 mg per litre. The filtration should be done six times continuously and the water remaining in the filter should be discarded.