City teaches safety with free pools

The sweltering heat increases the desire among children to make a splash in Changsha, Hunan province.

And with free admission to swimming pools there is no reason not to beat the heat. But there is a serious aspect to the program.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Guangdong province, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under 14.

The Ministry of Education on Monday ordered an education and publicity campaign to keep students alert to the dangers of drowning, natural disasters, fires and crime, and to encourage them to use the Internet appropriately.

Giving children free access to swimming pools allows them to have fun in a safe environment while at the same time teaching them water-safety skills.

The program, with an emphasis on safety, means that students between the age of 6-18 have free admission, through online applications, to 43 of the city's pools.

The policy lasts until Aug 25.

"Making a reservation cannot be easier," said Deng Yizhe, a sixth-grader at a primary school after she filled out the form.

Deng loves swimming and used to go to a relatively cheaper, but more distant swimming pool, but now she uses one closer to home on a daily basis.

Changsha is among the top 10 hottest Chinese cities during the summer according to the National Climate Center.

In 2009, the city government decided to let schoolchildren enjoy free access to swimming pools where they could enjoy themselves under the watchful eye of trained lifeguards.

According to Zhang Zhifeng, an official with the sports bureau in Changsha, about 1.57 million students used the service between 2009 and 2012.

The city government has spent about 12.6 million yuan ($2.05 million) on the program.

"You feel less worried when you know there are people keeping an eye on children in the pool," said Wu Ling, a resident in Changsha.

Wu Xingxing, manager of the city's Helong swimming pool, which has a water area of 1,500 square meters, said he has added three part-time lifeguards to a rotation of eight, the basic safety requirement for a pool as large as his.

To assure clean water in the pools, health authorities have asked for a change of water every four hours.

And in order to "provide a swimming space of 2.5 square meters per person", Zhang said every pool has set its own limit on how many people should be let in.

However, the free program has not spread to other cities in Hunan province.

Across the nation, only Wuhan has followed suit.

Fully aware of the lack of swimming facilities and the frequency of drownings in rural areas in Hunan, Zhang said the government is taking steps to solve the problem.

"We are recruiting qualified swimming coaches for schools in rural areas," Zhang said. "And we plan to carry out training courses."