More and more people are taking to swimming to get fit. But a recent study has thrown up some startling stats, suggesting that may not be the way to go, at least for Mumbaikars. The study conducted on 20 residential (in buildings) and commercial (in clubs) pools in the city over six months has revealed that 80 per cent of them are contaminated — 21 bacterial isolates have been found in the water; these can lead to pneumonia, urinary tract and stomach infections, etc. The researchers have raised the need for monitoring pool management of swimming po-ols to ensure they are safe for citizens in a city like Mumbai.

Dirty data
All of the examined residential swimming pools were found contaminated, while 60 per cent of the commercial ones were found to be unhygienic. The study also highlighted the increasing resistance of bacteria in pool waters to chlorine disinfectants, emphasising on the need to search for alternative strategies. The study was done by VES College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Bhavan's College, and MSU, Vadodara. The findings were published in the International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews in August.