27-Feb-2012
KARACHI: The closure of pools because of the dengue fever has hurt swimming activities across the country and the preparation for the London Olympics 2012, secretary Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) Majid Waseem told ‘The News’.
It has also prevented a number of competitions and training camps, he added. Swimming pools remain shut on the directives of the provincial and the local authorities. PSF officials say swimming pools have no role in breeding of dengue mosquitoes.
Waseem said that PSF has decided to start its activities and inform all its units and swimmers to be ready for swimming events and training camps, starting from March. Waseem said that PSF had informed the government officials that swimming pools have no role in breeding of dengue mosquitoes as there are heavy tides on the surface of water in swimming pools due to wind and human activities.
The mosquito larvae (eggs) have their breathing tube outside the surface of water and any slight movement in the surface of the water will cause the mosquito larvae to dive down into the water and emerge later for breathing, he said. If there is regular disturbance in water it prevents the mosquito larvae to breath due to which they die, he added.
“Water needs to be still and stagnant for a long period—at least 72 hours—for the larvae to turn into dengue mosquitoes,” said the PSF secretary. Moreover, adult females do not lay eggs in water bodies that are not conducive for the breeding of mosquitoes, he claimed. This further eliminates the possibility of mosquito breeding in swimming pools, he asserted.
Waseem further said that the swimming pools are made of concrete tiles and there is no vegetation along the margin or sedimentation at the bottom, which may become food for larvae. The presence of vegetation is another primary requirement for breeding of mosquitoes, he said.
Secondly, the walls of swimming pools are Perpendicular instead of slanting, which further prevents the breeding of mosquitoes in straightly structured habitats. Muhammad Mukhtar, senior vector control specialist, cabinet secretariat, said the swimming pools are heavily treated with chemicals like chlorine, sodium hypochloride and other acidic chemicals. These chemicals are fatal to larvae.
Swimming officials have demanded that pools should be allowed to operate and the public should be informed that pools are not dengue mosquito breeding environments and swimming as a sport is as safe as it used to be.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Women Swimming Association will organise and conduct the 12th National Girls Age-Group Swimming Championship at the Karachi Gymkhana Club from March 31 to April 1 under the auspices of the Pakistan Women Swimming Association. The Championship will be conducted in a 25m, 6 lane swimming pool. All events will be conducted as Time Finals. The Championship will be conducted in four age groups.
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