Op Ed: Would you swim in a major city river?
The question of whether citizens should be allowed to swim in major city rivers is difficult to answer with pros and cons on both sides. Personally, and for cautious reasons, I’d rather swim in a pool for safety, health concerns, and convenience.
Although campaigns for swimmable rivers can encourage cleaning polluted waterways, you should also consider pollution and health risks. Unlike your average swimming pool, with its added chlorine to clean the water, many city rivers are still polluted by sewage overflows, storm water drainage, etc. This presents a risk to people’s health, including upset stomachs and other irritations. According to Freestone 23, pools have water that is carefully monitored, while outdoor waters are constantly changing in composition. Common natural hazards include “blue-green algae”, “infections”, and “dumped chemicals.”
For example, heavy rainfall and other factors drain into natural rivers. It’s important to check water quality reports and listen to any warnings before entering a river. Compared to pools, with monitored water quality, safe walls and boundaries, controlled water, and lifeguards, swimming in rivers is definitely on the risky side.
In addition to the health concerns, there are physical hazards too. Rivers can have strong currents, debris, underwater obstacles, and different deepness levels, which can be dangerous for young swimmers. You would need to have strong swimming skills and awareness of the water conditions in order to be safe while swimming.
One thing that guides my choice of where to swim is visibility. Pool water allows you to see where you are swimming, the bottom, and other swimmers clearly. But river water is known to be more murky, which is an inconvenience to see where you are going and gets in the way of you enjoying your time to the max.
I find the pool’s environment, safety, and convenience more appealing.
https://www.sciencealert.com/swimming-in-nature-is-wild-but-is-it-healthier-than-a-dip-in-a-pool
