Firwood Road pool frustrations deepen
The pool was closed due to an underground water leak in 2017.
RESIDENTS are no closer to finding out when the Firwood Road pool will reopen.
The municipal pool, which was closed in July 2017, has now been empty for the last six years with the infrastructure around the pool crumbling and falling apart.
According to the eThekwini Municipality, the pool was closed due to an underground water leak which is thought to have affected a resident’s home on Falkirk Avenue.
Recently, members of the Democratic Alliance (DA), including provincial leader Francois Rodgers, conducted an oversight visit at the pool.
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Ward 34 councillor Bobby Maharajh said the deterioration of the Olympic-sized swimming pool has been frustrating to witness.
“The senior leaders of the party could not understand why the pool was in such a poor state. I’ve made numerous attempts to find answers as to when the pool will be fixed and reopened but to no avail. It has been six years of deterioration and frustration. This was once the pride of the area as schools used the pool for galas and residents were able to enjoy swimming whenever they could. The question I keep coming back to is why is nothing being done? Every year that passes, the cost factor to start repairs on the pool is going to increase.
“The infrastructure around the pool is also crumbling. We have so many children in this ward being deprived of one of its best assets. Other pools have been budgeted for and fixed by the eThekwini Municipality, but Firwood Road pool remains empty. It is shocking that no attempts have been made to restore it to its original state to allow the communities to benefit. I’ve been met with empty words from the City and no concrete action. We should never be in this situation,” he said.
Despite the closure of the pool six years ago, the City has admitted that no repairs have been carried out.
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The City’s head of communications, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, added that no date has been set for the reopening of the pool.
“No repairs have commenced yet. We are currently assessing the repair works to be carried out. The current scope of work is only inclusive of the upgrade of the filtration system and an upgrade of the reticulation system and the overflow management system. Other repairs will be assessed and budgeted for accordingly at a later stage. The pool was losing water excessively, and upon investigation, an underground water leak was detected. The decision to close it was therefore taken,” she said.
Khuzwayo added that the estimated cost of repairs is R9 million.
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