A random inspection of 12 public swimming pools in Taipei showed that nearly 80 percent failed to meet standards, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Wang Hsin-yi (王欣儀) said on Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Wednesday reported a case of a woman in her 30s who died of a rare brain-eating amoeba infection after visiting an indoor water park in New Taipei City twice.
The amoeba can be found in fresh water, such as rivers, lakes, warm water discharged from factories and insufficiently chlorinated swimming pools, as well as contaminated tap water and soil.
Photo courtesy of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Wang Hsin-yi’s office
The Taipei Research, Development and Evaluation Commission usually assesses public swimming pools in each of the city’s 12 districts one at a time, but the examination of 12 at once showed many flaws, Wang said.
The assessments cover signage; pool maintenance; restroom, locker room and shower maintenance; service attitude; safety and hygiene management; and public opinion, she said.
Restroom, locker room and shower maintenance was the metric that showed the worst results, with six facilities receiving a “zero” grade, she said.
Flaws included broken tiles, a lack of anti-slip treatment on decks, anti-slip tape peeling from ladders in pools, moss growing on steps and water slides, missing lifelines and facilities that were being repaired, but were accessible to the public.
If the results of the assessment are indicative of the situation citywide, 125 of the 153 public swimming pools managed by the Taipei Department of Education and Department of Sports would also fail, Wang said.
The education department said that dirty or broken facilities at swimming pools at two elementary schools and a junior-high school that failed the inspection have been repaired and cleaned, while two other elementary schools have sought contractors to fix broken tiles.
The sports department said it has conducted follow-up inspections of restrooms, locker rooms and showers at three pools in municipal parks.
Problems that were pointed out in the assessment have been improved and the facilities would contact repair personnel to address peeling paint, it said.
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