Come splash the smothering heat away!

Club owners are receiving frantic calls for admission to swimming pools

BAHAWALPUR: Nothing seems closer to ecstasy than a splash in the pool, especially during the sweltering months of summer. Private swimming pools are witnessing a heavy rush. Swimming coaching camps are mushrooming and every pool in the city has something to offer to enthusiasts.



The clubs in the city are flooded with swimmers these days as the temperatures soared above 40 degrees centigrade coupled with unannounced load-shedding.

The pools in Bahawalpur are abuzz with swimming activities, while the strength of budding swimmers has increased manifold. In addition, strokes like freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke are also taught under the watchful eyes of the coaches. Moreover, the specially treated antiseptic water ensures that the swimmer’s complexion does not get tanned.

Officials of some of the clubs told The Express Tribune that they are receiving frantic calls for admission but they could not admit more people as the capacity of swimming pools has exceeded the required numbers.

The administration of the swimming pools said there business is booming as the people need relief from scorching heat and power outages.

One of the managers of a privately-owned swimming pool told The Express Tribune that they charge Rs50 to Rs200 from an individual to use the swimming pool facility.

He added, “On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, people throng these pools in large numbers and it becomes difficult for them to facilitate all of them.” He maintained, “Sometimes people have to wait for hours for their turn.”

Visitors' views

While speaking to The Express Tribune, visitor Muhammad Hamza, resident of Aziz Colony, said, “We usually prefer to stay indoors during the day but since load-shedding has made our lives miserable so we planned to spend the afternoons in the swimming pool with our friends and stay there till evening.”

Another visitor Bilal Ahmad said it becomes difficult for him to keep fast due to sizzling temperature and load-shedding. “Therefore, I chose to visit a swimming pool with my relatives and friends to get some respite.”  He pointed out spending time in the water is fun and it also helps in socialising with other people.

Kashif Ali, who regularly visits a swimming pool in the city said, “Power supply remains disconnected for the whole day and it becomes very difficult to spend time at home during Ramazan. That is why we come here in the morning and return in the evening.”

Providing cheap entertainment

Meanwhile, Muhammad Arif, an owner of a swimming pool, told The Express Tribune, “We built this swimming pool for the people so that they could come here and spend some quality time with their friends and family.”

He added, “We have installed two tube wells which run throughout the day to ensure supply of clean and cool water in the pool.” Arif said, “The excess and used water is then supplied to the nearby fields so that it could be utilised for other purposes.”

He maintained they try their best to keep the swimming pools clean and free from bacteria so that people do not get skin infections. He said, “We have kept the rates low so that people from all walks of life could avail this facility.”



A free substitute

Meanwhile, those who cannot afford the expensive entry tickets of swimming pools have found a suitable alternative – they have opted for canals instead. One of the most visited canal where people throng in large numbers to beat the heat is Shushmai Canal near Baghdad Station.

Those canals are not so clean but they are absolutely free. Boys can be seen splashing water on each other nowadays in canals dotting various parts of the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2017.