(From top) The moss-coated pathway around Tallah Jheel; local boys bathe and wash in the ghat. Pictures by Bishwarup Dutta

Dirty green water, a scum-coated cement bank and litter dumped on the edges. Plus, anglers and local residents who regularly bathe and wash clothes in the water body.

It’s a free-for-all at the Calcutta Municipal Corporation’s (CMC) Tallah Jheel Park and the ugly effects are showing.

Tallah Sports Ally and North Calcutta Sporting Centre offer swimming lessons in the 12-ft deep natural water body. Classes for the Michael Phelps wannabes are held in the morning and evening from April to September for a session fee of Rs 250.

Though the water body has a filtered water connection with Tallah pumping station, the water is rarely cleaned.

“Filling up the pond with filtered water is not enough. The water has to be cleaned from time to time. Besides, there is an anglers’ club whose members use various kinds of fish food which may not be good for the swimmers’ health. We have requested the civic body several times to look into the matter but they have done nothing,” said Bhaskar Sinha, the general secretary of Kolkata Sports Development Council.

The swimming clubs occasionally sprinkle bleaching powder but only in their respective corners. “We use lime in our corner but that’s not enough for the entire pool. The number of students has decreased because of the dirty water. The swimming pools in Cossipore, Lake Town and Bangur are drawing students though the fees are high. Parents don’t mind shelling out a bit more for hygienic water conditions,” said Tapas Majumdar, an executive committee member of Tallah Sports Ally.

Moss and lack of maintenance have made the brick pathway around the water body slippery. The banks are often littered with plastic and dry flowers. A ghat towards the Paikpara end is used by the residents of nearby shanties for bathing and washing.

Besides, waterlogging forces the clubs to suspend swimming sessions in the monsoon. “The water level reaches the streets and dirty water flows in. There’s a valve to drain out excess water but that doesn’t help when the streets are flooded,” said Ranjan Haldar, the secretary of Tallah Sports Ally.

Civicspeak

Mayoral council member (parks and gardens) Faiyaz Ahmed Khan blamed lack of public awareness for the sorry state of affairs. “Washing clothes in the water body cannot be stopped by slapping a fine. We will have to hold awareness campaigns. But we will soon undertake a development and beautification scheme for Tallah,” he said.

“As per a contract with the CMC, the anglers’ club is supposed to clean the pool. A few people do bathe in the pool and though four security guards are posted there we haven’t been able to stop the practice,” admitted Mala Saha, the Trinamul MLA and councillor of ward 5.

Voices

Tallah Jheel is just unfit for swimming. The water is muddy and people throw flowers and all kinds of things into it. The banks are slippery and it’s quite risky for kids. This season, my daughter developed rashes. It’s a pity since many good swimmers once practised in the pool. — Mousumi Bhattacharya, a former swimmer and resident of Manmatha Dutta Road.

Slum-dwellers bathe and wash clothes in the pond which contaminates the water. It is a big water body and needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. — Kajal Das, a resident of 3/23 Kundu Lane, whose son Kaushik attends swimming classes at Tallah Jheel.

There are stone and wood chips in the pond and we often get bruised while swimming. The water becomes so dirty during the monsoon that we can’t attend classes for several days. — Class VI student Kaustav Basu, who lives at 5A Nritya Gopal Chatterjee Lane.

What problems do you face in Tallah Jheel Park? Tell northmetro@abpmail.com