Dubai: Leaving a public swimming pool unattended by a lifeguard will result in the closure of the pool by the Public Health and Safety Department of Dubai Municipality, a Dubai Municipality official said.
If residents are unhappy with the closure, they should settle the matter with their landlord, property manager or developer, because it is their responsibility to fulfil the safety conditions for all the public facilities in a property, Engineer Reda Salman, Director of the Public Health and Safety Department, said.
All public pools undergo regular checkups and inspections by municipality inspectors to ensure their safety and health conditions.
An inspection includes collecting a water specimen for analysis, checking the cleanliness of the pool and surrounding area, looking out for any wrong practices such as smoking or eating and drinking in the pool, and ensuring that each pool has a qualified and licensed lifeguard during operations hours.
"That does not mean a lifeguard cannot take a break, but he has to be present in the pool area as long as the pool is open to public, to be able to take immediate action if the need arises," Salman said.
Wrong practices
The lifeguard's task is not only to monitor the pool area for any possible drowning cases, but he has the power to stop any wrong practices too. "A lifeguard is authorised to stop people from practising any hazardous activity such as horseplay, smoking or entering the pool without appropriate swimming attire. He can also ask people to leave the pool if he suspects they may be under the influence of alcohol, or if they behaved inappropriately or immorally," Salman said. "This is why it is very important to have a qualified lifeguard in each public pool," he added.
In case the landlord or developer fails to abide by any of the safety requirements, including the presence of a lifeguard, they will be given a warning and a grace period to amend the status, if the violation was not too severe. "People sometimes object to the closure of pools in their residential buildings or villa complexes, but in case of someone drowning, they will look for someone to blame, and in this case they will forget that they wanted the pool to remain open despite lack of safety measures and a lifeguard," Salman said. As per law, a public swimming pool is one that exists in buildings, residential apartment and villa complexes, clubs, hotels or public parks. A private swimming pool is one that exists in private residential villas.
Approval required
Article 47 of Local Order No 11 for 2003 on public health and safety in Dubai stipulates that building a swimming pool in Dubai is subject to the approval of the concerned department on the pool's plans and design, and with the exception of private swimming pools, once completed, the contractor must get a certificate from the concerned department that the pool is ready to operate.
Article 48 of the same order stipulates that the owner or property manager is responsible for providing health conditions and safety requirements in public swimming pools, including providing necessary safety equipment and appointing a qualified lifeguard to monitor the pool all the time, as well as carrying out regular maintenance works.
According to article 49, the Director General, based on recommendation from the specialist department, can issue a decision to close down any public swimming pool in the following conditions:
- 1. If the pool was in a condition that may cause health hazards for users and the owner did not rectify the situation within the grace period given by the department.
- 2. In case of a breakout of an infectious disease which can spread by water. In this case, the pool remains closed until a decision is issued by the concerned bodies declaring the emirate free of that disease.
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