The District Government of the city of Cartagena, Colombia, through the Control Mechanisms Program of the Ministry of the Interior and in team with the District Administrative Department of Health (Dadis) has been carrying out a rigorous inspection of the swimming pools of the establishments located in the areas of Bocagrande, Castillo and El Laguito.
The properties are expected to comply with the requirements of Law 1209 of July 14, 2018, which establishes the basic safety standards for swimming pools.
According to the standard, districts and municipalities have the responsibility to verify safety aspects such as plans, pond shapes, depth, stairs, drains, corridors, water recirculation period, basic and emergency sanitation plan of the pool, lifeguard service, first aid, among other aspects.
According to Álvaro Barreto, administrator of several residential buildings in the area, the most common fault "is the lack of informative plans visible to bathers, the lack of mechanisms to prevent children from accessing the adult pool and the signaling of the depths of the ponds."
Some requirements of the standard are:
- Users should know the water evacuation routes in the pool, slopes, the slope of the floor and the depths.
- Swimming pools should visibly display informative and technical plans.
- As for the minimum, maximum and intermediate depths, they must be demarcated on the sides, edges and floors of the place where the pool is.
- The pool corridor must be at least 1.20 meters wide, covered with sliding material.
- It is mandatory for the bather to use the shower before entering the pool.
- Pets are prohibited.
- It must have rescue teams and a piscinero (lifeguard), who obviously knows how to swim and has knowledge of first aid.
- The pool must remain closed when not in use, to prevent people, especially minors, from entering.
- It must have around it some barriers or insulation structures to prevent any person in drinks from falling into the water.
