Leaking Chembur BMC pool shut for weeks, members incensed

After the issue was first flagged by activist Anil Galgali, residents alleged that despite the pool being closed since mid-April, no visible repair work had begun at the site and even the source of the leakage had not been identified. Adding to the anxiety is the BMC’s implementation of a 10 per cent water cut amid looming water shortage concerns. Citizens fear that reopening such public recreational facilities may face further delays due to restrictions on water usage.

MUMBAI: Paying members of the BMC-run General Arun Kumar Vaidya Swimming Pool in Chembur are upset about alleged mismanagement which has led to the pool remaining shut for nearly a month over a leakage issue. The prolonged closure has affected around 5,000 members, both families and regular swimmers, who complained that the pool was abruptly shut on the eve of the summer vacation.

Leaking Chembur BMC pool shut for weeks, members incensed

After the issue was first flagged by activist Anil Galgali, residents alleged that despite the pool being closed since mid-April, no visible repair work had begun at the site and even the source of the leakage had not been identified. Adding to the anxiety is the BMC’s implementation of a 10 per cent water cut amid looming water shortage concerns. Citizens fear that reopening such public recreational facilities may face further delays due to restrictions on water usage.

Concerns are also being raised about the Mulund swimming pool, which has remained shut for almost a year, adding to the growing dissatisfaction over the condition and upkeep of civic swimming pools.

Mahendra Pawar, a member of the Chembur pool, said that members were initially informed that it would remain closed for only two days from April 15 for maintenance work. “We were told that the leakages would be repaired but no work has begun,” he said. Pawar, a member for three years, said he had paid an annual fee of ₹11,700 for his daughter and himself.

Responding to the criticism, Ajit Kumar Ambi, deputy municipal commissioner in charge of gardens and swimming pools, said the issue was “technically complex”. “The pool was constructed in 2018 but sprang leaks within eight years,” he said. “The repair of the leakages is complicated from the technical point of view. To detect them is difficult, as the entire network is beneath the swimming pool. There is no specific method to complete repairs in one week. We have been working for one month—a contractor has already been appointed and three inspection visits have been conducted so far.”

Ambi said the official water cut had made things worse. “The demand for water in this pool is 170 MLD and the supply is 240 MLD,” he said. “But due to the massive leakage, the water level was going down and we were unable to maintain that level with borewell water. The latter is also unhygienic so we stopped it. We have given members the option of using the Dadar and Vikhroli BMC pools.”

The deputy municipal commissioner added that even the process of identifying the leakages required large quantities of tanker water. “To detect the leakage too requires four tankers but the BMC’s hydraulic department could only provide one tanker due to water shortage,” he said.