Abu Dhabi: The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has to approve the construction of any pool in Abu Dhabi, whether commercial or private.
While a response from the authority on the safety guidelines for private pools was not immediately available, Mustafa Selim, general manager at the United Technology and Trading Company in Abu Dhabi, explained that the municipality must receive all the shop drawings for the pool structure before construction can proceed. The company itself specialises in pool and water constructions.
“Once the reinforced steel layer is put in, municipality approvals are necessary before the pool’s concrete structure is poured,” Selim said. The municipality also regulates the filtration rate for the pool, and the chlorine monitoring and injection for commercial pools.
“In terms of safety, the municipality insists that all underwater electrical devices and fittings are underwater-rated (safe for use underwater, and resistant to submersion up to a depth of 1.5 metres). There must also be steps at the shallow end of the pool, and stainless steel handrails on the deep section of the pool,” Selim said.
In terms of external safety, the municipality insists that fences are installed around a pool, and kids’ pool be separated from deeper pools for adults by a fence. These fences must be part of the initial shop drawings submitted to the municipality.
“Beyond this, ensuring that one’s private pool is safe is the responsibility of the property owner. There are no additional checks, to my knowledge, once the pool has been constructed and handed over to the owner,” Selim said.
