BMC to open 6 new swimming pools this year
The civic body in 2018 proposed to increase the number of pools across the city, however, the work slowed down amidst the Covid-19 outbreak. BMC opened the Kandivali swimming pool to the public in 2022 — a delay of two years, from 2020.
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BMC at present has six swimming pools, one each, at Dadar (Shivaji Park), Kandivali, Dahisar, Mulund, Chembur, and Ghatkopar. Two pools — Kandivali and Dadar — are Olympic-sized and meet the international standards for swimming. The Ghatkopar pool is currently closed for repair and maintenance work, owing to which, all the members visit the Chembur pool. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to open six new swimming pools this year, an increase in the number of available open spaces across the city. Malad, Dahisar, Andheri East, Andheri West, Vikhroli and Worli will get one pool each.
Besides these proposed swimming pools, BMC will create one at Parel’s Kamgar Krida Bhavan — currently under the ownership of the state government, and to be taken over by BMC; and one at Wadala for public use — under the ownership of Mumbai Fire Brigade — ahead of summer this year, said officials. The move came as the city requires open space for recreational activities.
BMC at present has six swimming pools, one each, at Dadar (Shivaji Park), Kandivali, Dahisar, Mulund, Chembur, and Ghatkopar. Two pools — Kandivali and Dadar — are Olympic-sized and meet the international standards for swimming. The Ghatkopar pool is currently closed for repair and maintenance work, owing to which, all the members visit the Chembur pool.
The civic body in 2018 proposed to increase the number of pools across the city, however, the work slowed down amidst the Covid-19 outbreak. BMC opened the Kandivali swimming pool to the public in 2022 — a delay of two years, from 2020.
The work on swimming pools at Chacha Nehru Garden in Malad (West) and Gyandhara Garden in Dahisar is nearly done, and contractors are being appointed for security and maintenance purposes, said BMC officials. “We are planning to inaugurate these two pools before 2023 summer… Then we will open the remaining proposed pools to the public in a phased manner,” said a BMC official, adding that these pools have a specification of 25X15 metre and will have a capacity to accommodate 1,600 members each. “The members will have to choose preferred time slots for their swimming session, and could book the same after the inauguration.”
BMC officials, meanwhile, said that the remaining pools in Andheri, Worli, and Vikhroli will be open to the public by the end of this year.
In December 2022, BMC had initiated monthly and quarterly membership schemes for swimming pools for the residents of Mumbai. Earlier, only annual membership was available. The civic body has also launched an official website through which people can avail membership for the swimming pools, with a facility in the system for candidates waiting for the same.
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