KOHAT: Kohat district is famous for its cool natural springs. Of late, spacious swimming pools have been built on them to provide a sigh of relief from the summer heat to local people.

Earlier, the springs were shallow and children and young people could not swim or jump into them, but now the water is contained into swimming pools.

A plan has also been made to convert the two male sections of the Junglekhel springs into two swimming pools and reserve one of them for women.

The two springs of Junglekhel and Bona Baba in the city are popular sites where people beat the heat and get pleasure of icy-cold waters by bathing which keeps them cool for hours.

The springs of Chilli Bagh, which had also been converted into a swimming pool, and Pir Sahib Bagh springs are picnic spots where families gather during summer.

Mostly families turn to them at 10am and after cooking and eating leave in the afternoon while the children and young enjoy the bath.

These days people are taking pleasure by bathing in the swimming pools which have been built under the city’s uplift and beautification project.

Two portions of swimming pools have been constructed at Bona Baba site where only low boundary walls existed at the mouth of the spring coming out from underneath a small building established by the British for controlling the water flow. The part on which watchtower was made is still intact. There is a little space for bathing and people have to take turns near the mouth.

The showers have also been installed at Bona Baba site. A saying goes that if a person has a chicken pox he can get rid of it by taking bath for three consecutive days at Bona Baba.

The district administration has decided to reserve one side of the new swimming pools at Junglekhel springs near the mosque for women.

Earlier, women from the nearby localities would come to the portion of the springs which had a boundary wall for security and purdah where they would wash clothes and take a bath with children weekly.

The male section of the springs has already been dug deep as swimming pool and now a new layout plan has been approved for necessary changes for its beautification.

In this regard, a meeting on beautification project was held at the camp office of the deputy commissioner.

It was attended by additional assistant commissioner Sahibzada Samiullah, consultant of the project Enginner Hafeezullah, contractors and officials of the local departments.

It was decided to appoint two watchmen at Bona Baba springs for safety of the beautification work done there.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2018