Coach's Plea: Don't Drain Pools Amid Pune Water Crisis

Pune Municipal Corporation's proposal to close swimming pools due to a water crisis has drawn sharp criticism from national swimming coach Vinay Marathe. Marathe argues that draining the approximately 400,000-500,000 liters of chlorinated water from pools would be a significant waste, as this treated water is unsuitable for agriculture, drinking, or gardening. He emphasizes that swimming pools do not require daily water changes; instead, they need only about 10,000 liters of fresh water weekly as a top-up. The coaches and pool operators are willing to use their own borewell water for this purpose, negating the need for PMC water supply. Marathe recalled a similar situation in 2018 when a delegation successfully persuaded the government to withdraw such an order after explaining water conservation practices. He also pointed out the health benefits of swimming, including its role in aqua therapy for the elderly and its value as a full-body exercise for all. The closure would severely impact competitive swimmers preparing for upcoming district, state, and national meets, jeopardizing their training efforts. Marathe proposed an alternative: encouraging citizens to use swimming pools to reduce domestic water consumption, suggesting it as an opportunity to promote fitness while saving water.