PESHAWAR, July 26: The NWFP Assembly Standing Committee on Sports and Culture has failed to take any action against the officials of the directorate of sports for the unhygienic condition of the Adil Khan swimming pool, the venue for the National junior swimming championship slated from Aug 6.

Interestingly, the committee’s meeting which held the other day, directed the officials concerned to initiate action against the NWFP Swimming Association (NWFPSA) on account of its allegations against the officials of sports directorate.

NWFP Sports Minister, who stayed away from the meeting, which was attended by MPAs, Arshad Khan, Maulana Irfanullah, Naeema Akhtar, Qazi Mohammad Asad and Nadir Shah presided over by MPA Javid Khan Mohmand, issued an official handout saying that the NWFP Swimming Association was levelling allegations out of its vested interests and that there was nothing wrong with the pool.

On the contrary, laboratory analysis of the water from the swimming pool, had revealed a week ago that the water was contaminated and unfit for swimming.

Dawn has obtained a copy of that report, which has clearly mentioned that the water of the swimming pool was unfit for swimming, cooking and other purposes due to the presence of bacteria.

“The sample of the water from the swimming pool is chemically unfit for human consumption due to the presence of nitrite. It contains very heavy load of micro-organism (bacteria),” said the report conducted at the Public Health Food Analysis, Laboratory, Peshawar.

The water sample had been sent to the laboratory for examination after 10 local swimmers fell ill, two of them from hepatitis and rest with skin disease and throat infections.

The ill-informed committee’s members did not bother to ask for the laboratory report and issued directives to take action against the association instead.