TAURAI MANGUDHLA
Some have called it a secret gem while others claim it is some mystery. Green Pool has largely been a secret, little known, until a couple of years ago when it started gaining some mileage on social media.
Videos of the pool are now a thing on social media. Adrenalin junkies are easily drawn to the place which boasts of one of the deepest pools in the country and blue-green water that just pleases the eye. The water, on a normal day, is quite chilly suggesting the source lies deep in the ground. The actual depth remains a debate with locals telling tales that suggest the deepest point on the quarry pool could be as more than 200m.
The depth alone sends chills up the spines of many, especially for land lubbers or dry ducks.
The possibility of drowning indeed becomes a reality when you hear tales of those who lost their lives in the pool.
“I have been living in this area since 1996 and I can count at least 10 people who drowned in this pool,” said 52-year old Kenny Ranga. “One of the recent cases involved some school children who decided to swim on their way home, one of them died in the pool.”
The breath of the pool is not exactly out of this world, but some organic intellectuals in the area believe the mineral content in the water-asbestos and chrome makes the water too heavy when swimming especially at the deepest point.
Locals say it takes people who know how to swim efficiently, at least, to survive the pool. Encircled by quarry on what used to be an operational Ethel Mine in the 60s, a spring was opened with water eventually filling.
Like other quarry pools across the world, the Green Pool remains dangerous for obvious reasons.
Despite of the dangers, especially given that the place is currently the subject of an ownership battle between a local consortium of trustees and some businessmen who want to develop the area.
The ownership battle has stalled plans by the local consortium to erect a perimeter fence that is meant to provide security.
Since there is no one looking after the place, you can come across litter and all kinds of filth.
There are also plans to make accommodation and restaurants in the area in order to attract more tourists.
The Green Pool is fast becoming a darling in Zimbabwe with local tourists driving from Harare. For first timers, it is always comforting to learn the majestic Green Pool is just over 100 kilometres from the capital Harare in Mutorashanga and close to the tarred roads.
There are no entrance fees and hustles, making it an affordable leisure option.
