Demystifying the swimming pool

For many it remains a far off feature which they last used at school — for those who had the privilege of going to schools with pools — or something they see in magazines, at hotels and when they visit the homes of the rich and famous.
But right from inception in the womb, human beings have always been water creatures. All our body features are developed in the womb which is a body of water.
At birth every child is able to float hence we have what are now called “water births,” a concept that is increasingly becoming popular in developed countries. In water births, the effect of buoyancy, that deep water immersion creates is mimicking the buoyancy that the foetus experiences in the womb. We are all water babies!
Many people fear water. This is called hydrophobia. This manifest itself in some people when they come close to a body of water, especially those who cannot swim.
The main objective of this column is therefore to demystify this body of water called Swimming Pool, and I shall be doing precisely that over the next couple of weeks.
Swimming pools are not a modern innovation by any means. On the contrary, man-made water enclosures, known as baths, have existed in many parts of the world since ancient times.
Romans were luxuriating in them as way back as 200 BC. In India archaeologists have unearthed pool structures more than a thousand years older than that.
The word “bath” is a reference to the pool’s original purpose of communal cleansing (In Britain, home of the historic Spa City of Baths, sometimes you can still hear backyard pools being referred to as swimming baths).
In Zimbabwe how do we explain the irresistible urge to capture and confine water for our own personal enjoyment?
Whatever their setting, pools seem to fill the space with an energy force that immediately draws our attention, making us intimately aware of what Alexander Pope described as “the genius of the place.”
 But perhaps the most obvious attraction to pools lies in the fact that, of all the elements within the landscape or a garden, water has an aesthetic appeal that connects almost immediately with the emotions. 
Natural beauty reflected in still water evokes a sense of mystery and calm. The sparkle of light on its surface and in its depths rejuvenates the spirit.
Whether it’s splashing from a fountain, flowing over a shoreline or simply lapping against the sides of a swimming pool, who can deny the soothing effects of water’s music?
Not long ago, the pleasure of that particular sound was pretty much reserved for the wealthy. These days, however, the combination of improved materials and streamlined building techniques has resulted in a boom in private outdoor swimming pools.
Now what was once regarded as a symbol of great wealth has become almost commonplace. Also, since a well designed backyard pool significantly increases the value of a home, many home owners are pushed to build pools as a way of increasing the value of their properties.
In the next issues we shall be talking about water safety and security in and around the pool, water features, types of pools, water chemistry in the pool and many more.

– Vincent Munyeza is a director at Jackson Munyeza Pools, a swimming pool company with operations in Zimbabwe and Botswana. He is a certified pool operator and certified pool instructor, the first in Africa to hold such a qualification. For views and comments you can contact him on splash@jacksonmunyezapools.com