[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Safe swimming" ids="153739,153740,153741,153742"] Saudi Gazette report EVERY year during the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, we hear about many sad incidents of children drowning in swimming pools and beaches in different parts of the Kingdom. Owners of private rest houses with swimming pools take advantage of the holiday season to rent them out at very high prices mostly to families. During the heat of the celebrations, parents tend to leave their young children unattended and some of these children stray into the swimming areas, fall in the pools and get drowned, turning the festival into a nightmare. Despite the fact that many children end up dead in these swimming pools every year, no special authorities investigate these incidents, Al-Riyadh newspaper reports. Normally, the accidents are written off as fate or destiny and no serious investigations take place. The authorities need to check and ensure that these private swimming pools actually have all safety measures, including rescue teams, in place, the paper said. In order for the swimming pools to be safe, the following conditions are to be met: clean water for swimming, a qualified rescue team and safety apparatus such as defibrillators. The common cause for children drowning, whether in swimming pools or beaches, is the absence of qualified rescue teams. Even if some rescue teams are present, they are often not properly trained. Rescue workers are supposed to carry a license, which is renewed every two years. They need to take part in exercises on a weekly basis in order to be fit and prepared to carry out the job properly. However, the authorities do not enforce these safety requirements in all private swilling pools. There are no laws and regulations in the Kingdom that define the safety requirements in swimming pools and no specific official body is supposed to inform the owners of these requirements, including the number of rescuers and trainers they need to appoint in swimming pools that are rented out to the public. This leads to chaos and confusion when an accident takes place. According to some officials, the Civil Defense and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) are both responsible for such incidents as they are supposed to check the safety measures at private swimming pools. "Some private swimming pools are licensed and others are not. A licensed swimming pool is supposed to have all safety measures in place as it is operating legally. As for unlicensed swimming pools, it is a different situation because these pools are basically illegal. In case of any citizen or resident facing some problems in any tourist facility, there are emergency numbers that can be contacted. These numbers are operated by the SCTH and are available 24 hours all days of the week," said Khalid Al-Fareeda, director general of SCTH in Al-Ahsa governorate. Brig. Mansour Al-Dousari, spokesman for the Eastern Province Civil Defense, said there are certain infrastructural requirements to ensure safety in swimming pools. "The steps of the pool should reach the floor, every corner of the pool should have handrails and the lights should be suitable for a pool's size," said Al-Dousari. There should be clear signs that separate shallow and deep areas of the pool and any defects that could be dangerous to the swimmers should be immediately fixed, he added. In addition to these, there are other safety measures that need to be followed. If they did not exist, then the owner might face serious consequences in the event of an accident, said Al-Dousari. He said these measures include limiting the number of swimmers depending on the pool's size and quick accessibility to safety gadgets, including life vests, oxygen cylinders and first aid boxes. The swimmers should not be allowed to use the pool if it was just cleaned with chlorine. At least, one certified trainer should be available at each swimming pool. The trainer should have experience in administering first aid. "Finally, the owners of the swimming pool must provide a high chair for the trainer so that he or she can monitor all swimmers," said Al-Dousari. He advised parents to monitor all children younger than 15 years while they go swimming. Most importantly, no safety measures will be complete without the presence of qualified and trained rescue teams. Moreover, in most cases private swimming pool owners do not provide safety tools to visitors and renters. The problem gets worse especially in holiday seasons when children go swimming without their parents' supervision. The Saudi Civil Defense advises all parents to watch their children in swimming pools. "Usually, drowning accidents happen when children are left unattended, and it is crucial not to let young children swim alone," said the Civil Defense spokesman.
