Poor maintenance: Swimming pool in Karnataka's Davanagere closed since 2015

DAVANAGERE: Though a swimming pool was started by the department of youth empowerment and sports in Devaraj Urs layout in Davanagere city in 2008, by spending over Rs 1.6 crore, and providing all the necessary facilities for swimming, it was closed in 2015 due to poor maintenance.
“The pool was built with the intention of producing good swimmers at both the national and international levels, and it is one of the best pools in the state, next only to the ones in Bengaluru and Bagalkot.It has a 10m diving board, and is 50m in length by 25m in width, having a minimum depth of 3ft and maximum depth of 18ft,” said assistant director of sports B Srinivas. “Due to the lack of a functioning swimming pool here, local swimmers who are competing at the national and international level are getting trained in a swimming pool in Harihar, which is a smaller one,” said Laxmana, father of national level swimmer Manikanta L.
“There are many talented swimmers in Davanagere, but due to lack of swimming pools, they are not getting the necessary exposure,” said Sundaresh Satyanarayana, the first swimming coach in Davanagere.
“Local girl Revathi Nayaka, the daughter of Huchhavvanahalli Manjunath, became an international swimmer, as I coached her,” said Satyanarayana. Davanagere could become a hub for swimmers, if the swimming pool is renovated, he observed. Several aquatic sports events, including water polo, diving and swimming could also be conducted in this pool after its renovation, he added.
The renovation of the pool is going on by replacing the tiles and machinery, including pumps, with grants of over Rs 2.5 crore given by the Davanagere Smart City Project Limited. “We are constructing a gym room, balcony, sheets with a truss for spectators gallery, apart from solar roofing, and incorporating advanced technology. The pool will get a facelift by the end of November,” said Smart City project MD Ravindra Mallapur.