Plan of activities to improve the quality of water in recreational areas of pinar del río, cuba

Water bodies in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, may be used by water sport athletes as well as the general public for recreation. Use of natural water bodies has increased lately worldwide, provoked by, among other causes, the rise of world population relative to the limited availability of swimming pools and the free access to educational, recreational and tourist facilities. However, water quality problems in these natural water bodies may affect recreational users’ health. The goal of this study was to monitor the quality of water of lakes used for recreation by citizens near the campus of physical culture, University Pinar del Río. To evaluate use, we conducted interviews and to evaluate water quality, we measured the temperature, pH, water turbidity, and dissolved oxygen in the lakes. We found that the dissolved oxygen was low and turbidity was high in all of the lakes and the pH was low for two the lakes and high for the other three. Given that these conditions indicate impairment, this work serves as a starting point to improve the conditions of the water bodies for recreation. This study reinforced the knowledge and attitude of students concerning the water preservation as well as their interactivity in the community.