Residents yearn for a splash as pool shortage grips Doha

A SEVERE dearth of swimming pools is felt in Doha as Qatar’s population rises every month and people, forced by the summer heat and humidity to stay indoors, want to adopt a health regime that suits the local weather.

Pools at the five-star hotels and recreational clubs are full to capacity, while their timings are not suitable to a large section of the residents, they say.

“I had been looking around to see if any swimming pool is available. But I have stopped trying,” said an expatriate of 10 years, resignedly. “There’s no point in wasting time,” he added.

According to him, after his family package to use the gymnasium, the pool and other facilities for QR3,500 expired with the Oasis Hotel (Qatar’s oldest star hotel), the search for another facility started, but he was forced to join a waiting-list. Oasis Hotel has since been demolished.

“Qatar makes it mandatory for operators of swimming pools to employ a life-guard to ensure health and safety. Maybe some of these places can’t find a life-guard who will be willing to start work at dawn,” suggested another expatriate.

Most of the swimming pools in Qatar open by 7am and remain open until midnight. In winter, they usually close a bit early.

However, it is recognised internationally that the best time for physical exercise is dawn. Why don’t they open the pool, say, at 5am?” another expatriate asked.

Upon inquiries, an official of the Ramada Hotel’s health club, which is popular with the residents, said that their opening list was at least 3-4 months long. The price for a single customer was quoted as QR6,575 per year for a couple, QR7,305 and for a family of four QR8,575. And even though members (or guests) can hit the pool as early as 6am, the swimming pools are accessible only after 7am and close at 10pm.

Prices vary depending on a hotel’s rating or a club’s reputation and facilities. However, the timings remain almost the same across the industry.

“We have a strict world-wide policy of opening the swimming pool only from 7am to 8pm, even though the gymnasium is open 24 hours a day,” a Sheraton Hotel official said.

Again, prospective members have to wait until October to get into the Sheraton pool.

According to recently published statistics on sports by the Qatar Statistics Authority, the Qatar National Olympics Committee manages a total of six pools (2007 figures). The total number of registered swimmers at the QNOC-operated pools was 323 (300 males and 53 females). Additionally, there is also the Hamad Aquatic Centre that was built for the Asian Games but it is not open to the general public.

“There’s certainly a demand for this family-oriented sport and there have also been calls to open our pools to cater to more people. We usually just let them know that it’s not practical for us,” said an official.

Suggesting that the country, considering its climate, required more indoor facilities, a Western expatriate said: “There should be more indoor tennis courts, indoor racetracks and other such facilities. And yes, for a quick splash, more swimming pools with convenient timings.”

[Image caption: Swimmers of all ages cooling off in the Dana Club pool]