How Pune public pools in the city wade through water crisis

National-level swimming coach Bhupendra Acharekar was in Ahmedabad for a meet on Thursday when he received a call that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had started sending out notices to pools to close until the water crisis in the city was under control. Acharekar is the Programme Director of Harmony Aquatic Club, which trains swimmers at PMC’s Vastad Balbhim Mokate Swimming Pool.

“There is a lot of confusion among swimmers and trainers about the PMC order. “Apart from impacting swimmers training for competitions and senior citizens for whom swimming is the only exercise, the order would impact the livelihoods of pool staff,” says Acharekar.

According to him, an average pool employs five to six trainers since the peak season ended with school reopening after summer vacations. “A trainer earns upward of Rs 20,000 per month, salary and incentives combined, while a lifeguard takes home an average of Rs 15,000 every month. Closing pools will have a financial impact for them,” says Acharekar.

Lokmanya Tilak Deccan Gymkhana Pool club, Pune. (Express Photo)

For a number of pools, there have been no ripples in activities till now. At the 104-year-old Lokmanya Tilak swimming tank in Deccan Gymkhana, popularly known as Tilak Tank, a unique legacy is proving to be an advantage. “Tilak Tank was originally an old stone quarry fed by natural springs. The pool was inaugurated on April 30, 1922, and natural spring continue to supply it with water. The complex now, manages four tanks with capacities of 18 lakh litres, 8 lakh litres, 4 lakh litres, and 2 lakh litres,” says its secretary Shourya Karandikar.

Karandikar adds that each facility has developed self-reliant water systems to maintain operations year-round. “None of these pools use PMC water, insulating us from potential municipal supply cuts during summer shortages,” says Karandikar. The pool has produced 270 swimmers, including 25 national-level athletes. Tilak Tank runs batches, training 200–300 students daily with 20 trainers and eight lifeguards.

Nande Swimming Pool, near Balgandharva Rangamandir in Shivajinagar, has taken the route of most pools in the city – they draw water from a dedicated borewell and use chlorine filtration of 2 parts per million (PPM), which is the standard for pools but makes the water unsuitable for agriculture or drinking. “We have a 5 lakh litre capacity that runs without a hitch,” says its proprietor V. Marathe. The pool runs batches with 12 trainers and two regular lifeguards each, who are supported by three other lifeguards.

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The Olympic-size pool at SP College is a draw for students, staff, members of the public and professionals. Owned and maintained by the Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, the pool holds 10 lakh litres of water that is fed by a well. “The well-based supply ensures the pool remains independent of civic pipelines,” says pool administrator S Fengse. The facility supports structured training with 18 coaches and three lifeguards, serving 100–120 students daily.

At Michael Phelps Swimming, a privately-run pool that opened in Baner last year, it laps as usual, despite the PMC’s directive ‘because the water used is sourced from borewells and supplied through tankers’.

“Since the PMC water is not being used, the restrictions do not directly affect our operations,” a representative of the facility said.

(With inputs from Shrijita Acharyya)